Memories of Cake and Death
by MyChemicalDarkness
Summary: Haunted from dreadful memories of his past life, present day Ciel tries to figure out who this man cloaked in darkness is. Coming across Sebastian, together they must face trials from Heaven and Hell, with the help from a few faces of the past. S/C
1. Memories, Drenched in Black and Red

**Hello everyone! This is my first fanfic ever so I hope its good and you enjoy it! **

**Full Sumary: ****Haunted from dreadful memories of his past life, present day Ciel tries to figure out who this man cloaked in darkness is. Unfortunately, dealing with a demon won't be easy. Using his choppy memories, Ciel comes across Sebastian and together they must take on trials from both Heaven and Hell, with a little help from some faces of the past. Not only that, but what has happened in the past 122 years since Ciel last saw Sebastian, and how will this affect his confusing feelings for the demon? S/C, mostly one-sided Alois/Ciel, one-sided Grell/Sebastian**

***Warnings*Mature language, sexual scenes (but no lemons, srry ^^;), Yaoi, a couple OCs (nothing major though cause I hate them too so I hope they don't bother you), gore**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji**

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><p>More shadows here. More red: blood red. Another line. Sharpen the eyes. Smudge the hair, then highlights. Define the eyes: the blood red eyes, so piercing that they could rip out your very soul. Now more black, so much black. And those bloody red piercing eyes.<p>

I have never met this man in my life, and yet it feels like I've known him forever. Always dressed in black, he haunts my dreams, my life, my thoughts. My parents believe I have a wild imagination and that I should become an author. They might be right and I might just have bizarre dreams full of death, cake, tea and crimson eyed men cloaked in darkness.

However, I do not believe this. I have had dreams before where your innermost feelings are let loose and childish wants roam free, but these _nightmares_ are full of pain and sin. The visions I have are too vivid to be made up 'fantasies' and they are full of people whom I have never met in my short fourteen years of life. While dreams change setting and details every second, my horrors are so detailed that I could paint perfect copies of them. And I have, many, many times.

That brings me back to the present. This sinfully beautiful man…

"Who are you?" I murmur, staring at the grinning face while setting my pencils aside. "And what were you to me, Sebastian Michealis, that I am forced to see your face almost every time I sleep?"

I finally place my sketch next to my pencils on my wooden desk and get up to do my morning routine. Take a shower, get dressed, brush my teeth: the same monotonous thing every day. It's so frustrating that I sometimes wish I lived the lives of those from the novels I'm forced to read in the prisons they call high school. Or my dreams (memories?) for that matter, just to get away from this life that seems to drone on.

"Caelum! Get up! Mom's made breakfast today instead of your shit cooking," Mare shouts through my bedroom door. I roll my eyes at his excitement. So what if my cooking isn't that great? He can make his own goddamn breakfast from now on if he's going to be picky.

Mare is my older brother, but I'm not sure how since we're polar opposites. Mare is a very loud and popular kid who argues with every little thing I say even though I'm much smarter than him and an infinite amount more mature. Where I have dark gray hair, almost blue, Mare has black wavy locks of hair like my mother's. My eyes that reflect an imaginary ocean contrast to his emerald green eyes, not to mention that he towers over me by _at least_ two feet! He's only three years older than me, how can there be that big of a difference?

I pick up the last thing I always pick up in my everyday routine: my pitch black eye patch. Another peculiar thing besides my unusually colored hair and bizarre visions is that I was born with an eye bearing an odd purple form. However, it's only visible if you really look closely. Standing a comfortable distance away from me, my right eye only looks slightly discolored, thankfully. That didn't stop the bullying and all the pestering, though, creating the need for the eye patch. I have often wondered about the origin of my occidental eye, but the doctors could never explain anything to me or my family.

Opening my plain door, I walk out of the hallway and down the stairs, heading towards the kitchen. When I reach my destination, I see my brother sitting at our petite table, devouring runny eggs and sausages. Staring in slight disgust at his horrible mannerisms, I carefully scoop a plate of food for myself and grab a cup of premade tea, thanks to mother. I sit calmly in my chair and start eating my eggs by carefully slicing them up and making sure not to spill any, my napkin lying on my lap.

"What are you? Some sort of prince?" my brother mocks.

"Shut up! At least I don't look like a starving pig," I snap back.

"Yeah, well, at least this starving pig has friends!" Mare sneers at me.

"Who needs friends when they are just going to stab you in the back? Like that one kid you thought was your best friend who was actually cheating with your girlfriend." I know that was pretty low, but I just can't stand Mare sometimes. We aren't on the greatest terms right now since he drew that moustache on one of my drawings of Sebastian and I punched him in the face. He deserved it, so I wasn't in much trouble, as if I could care.

"Screw off, dickhead." I ignore his last comment because I've become bored of his presence and no longer wish to see his face anymore.

I walk to school today alone, my brother deciding to skip first block with a few friends to smoke a joint. It is very moody today, the sky painted a dull gray, rain clouds taunting everyone. The sun isn't even visible behind the thick masses. There is no wind today, though, and I find it oddly quiet. Autumn leaves sit motionlessly on the side walk, trash lying quietly in the middle of our ugly routes. I frown. What horrid weather we have today, it's not very inspiring at all. My thoughts wander to my paintings.

I believe it has been five years since I started painting larger canvases, filling them with the images I see while I'm asleep. At first they contained pictures mostly of Sebastian and myself, because sometimes I actually see myself in my dreams and instead of acting them out, I am merely an observer. It is a very unsettling feeling, to see a mirror image of yourself walking around and speaking things using _your_ voice. At first I believed it to be someone else, but we were just _too_ similar. That, and when I started writing my name as "Ciel" by accident like the boy, it felt too familiar, like I had just found a missing piece of myself.

When I was young I―

"_Ciel~!_" An overly excited voice cried out. I almost jumped when a pair of arms wrapped around my torso.

"Alois! Please refrain from doing that. Or touching me in general, if you don't mind," I say, frustrated at the blonde's antics. He's just too touchy for my liking.

"No, I don't believe I want to do that, Ciel," Alois ponders. "I do enjoy touching you."

"Don't say things like that!" I snap and try to shove him off. Unfortunately, Alois is a year older than me, so I didn't get very far. "Get off, or else I'm going to avoid you for the rest of the week again."

My threat seemed to work for now, because Alois let go of me and started walking, skipping really, beside me to school. I stare in slight annoyance at my friend. "Alois, why must you insist on wearing short shorts everyday? You're going to get dress coded and you're a _guy_!"

Alois flashes me a sexy smile. "Because, they show off my fabulous body, of course!" He strikes a pose to prove a point, but I walk past him and proceed into the school. I hear him make a noise of annoyance and smirk to myself.

First block I have Social Studies, then French, Math and Art. In general, I find Socials interesting. Right now, however, we're studying geography, the most excruciatingly boring subject ever. Do you think I give a damn how to draw a topographic map and transform it into a diagram? Hell no. On the upside, I do have Art today…

Wait, what was that? I look to my left. Oh, just Alois babbling again. Damn, I seem to have forgotten what I was thinking about. I might as well listen to the idiot.

"… isn't it a good idea?" Alois looks pretty excited. That said, I have learnt from years of experience that 'Alois' and 'good ideas' are two things that do not go together.

"No."

"But I thought you wanted me to stop wearing short shorts?" Alois asks, confused.

"Oh. My mistake. Congratulations, you've actually come up with a good idea," I drone.

"Aha! I knew you weren't listening! I was saying that I should host a party this weekend, since my grandparent's won't be home!" Alois looks torn between feeling hurt from my ignoring him, and super wound up for his party.

"Alois, the last time you tried to host a party, it didn't end to well," I remind him. It was all too fresh in my mind: the alcohol, the sick idiots everywhere, the ambulance, a certain blond being taken away for jumping out a window because he thought he was a cloud and was trapped.

"It wasn't that bad. I only broke, what, two bones? Besides, I've learned my lesson," Alois defends. I stare at him with dull eyes. Him, actually learning from his mistakes? That's about as likely as him having a good idea; next to none.

"I highly doubt that. But do whatever you want to, I suppose. I've got to go, though. I need to print off my essay from the library," I say and nod when he yells that he'll see me in art and promptly leaves. Let's just say, Alois isn't aloud in the library anymore either, and it's only been a month in high school.

I don't always like to admit it, but that blond idiot is actually my best friend. I've known him ever since I skipped the third grade and proceeded straight to the fourth. It wasn't surprising that I was the misfit of the class. 'The boy genius who dresses like a pirate' was what they called me, all except for one. Alois Hallington, dressed in shorts and a purple t-shirt, ran up and introduced himself immediately. I can still remember the first words he said to me.

"_Hey, you're kinda cute. My name's Alois," said the small boy while winking, holding his hand out to shake. I blinked and cautiously shook his hand, wondering if this eccentric boy was planning on tricking me somehow. _

It turns out, he was just very outgoing and tended to flirt openly with many people, usually cute girls. Unfortunately, I was one of the few boys back then he also flirted with, and he hasn't stopped after all these years and threats I've said. Sometimes I wonder if Alois was ever innocent, thinking back on some of the things he'd say that I'd never understood being only nine. I let out an annoyed, but slightly amused sigh for my friend's sake. I can't believe I still hang around with that kid, especially after that cloud incident...

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><p>"Je déteste cette classe-ci avec ces idiots, " I mutter to myself. Honestly, these kids were so dumb they couldn't even say how nice of weather there was, or lack of therefore. It was such a relief when the bell finally rang.<p>

"Au revoir, mes amis ! Vous me manquerez ! À vendredi !" Mme. Langley says enthusiastically, waving her hand as everyone rapidly left her class. I should introduce Alois to her; I think they would get along nicely. Actually, on second thought, they might over run the school with gayness. As in happy.

As I walk through the hallway, I pass groups of friends laughing, shouting and screaming. I've never understood that feeling. How can someone be so happy with all the things going around them? Everyday, kids are kidnapped, raped, women beat and slaves are sold. And yet, they laugh as they see kids getting into fights and the weaker of the two falling to the ground in a bloody mess. Sometimes I hate humanity. How is it we can invent 3-D television and yet are still barbaric enough to beat the shit out of someone over two dollars? All the drugs, as well, are ridiculous. Who in their right mind would take a pill to get high just for a little while, before coming back down into a deep depression, killing your brain in the process?

My eyebrows twitch as I stare at a green form _spinning_ down the hallway. I quickly dodged to the side of the hall before it crashes into me. However, Alois comes right to a stop beside me and claps his hands together, his momentum seeming to disappear into thin air.

"Its official, this Friday is going to be the best Friday EVER! Come, come, let's go plan everything!" I stumble as Alois grabs my hand and practically drags me outside. Once the energized child comes to a stop, I pull my hand away from his clutches and we walk past the gymnasium. Alois starts to speak rapidly, when a group of kids come around the corner.

"Well, if it isn't that prick Alois? Where's _my_ invitation," Bruce sneers, staring down at the blonde. Bruce is a tall, chubby boy, whose face looks like a baboon's ass. He and his two henchmen are the stereotypic bullies, who steal money, beat up weak kids and smoke.

"Yeah, where's our invitations?" demanded Ross, one of Bruce's partners in crime. Ross was the muscle of the group, so to say. That said, he was mostly for looks since he was too slow to do proper damage unless he happened to get a good first hit.

"Well unfortunately, I'm only allowed a certain amount of people, so~," Alois pauses. "all four hundred and sixty-three grade tens are allowed to come, with the exception of you three. You'd just ruin the mood with your ugly faces."

I stare at Alois as he giggles at his last statement, slightly jaw slack at his rudeness in front of these goons. One of these days his words are really going to backfire on him…

"Why you―" Ross starts, but Bruce stops him.

"It's fine. It's probably just going to be him and his faggot girlfriend there at the party anyway. Laaame," Bruce mocks while the other two snigger.

Frankly, I couldn't care less what they say about me, but Alois' whole demeanor seems to have changed. He freezes and his eyes darken as he slowly looks the leader of the trio in the eyes. I can practically feel the contempt rolling off of him.

"Shut the fuck up, you cunts. If you _ever_ insult Ciel like that again you will regret it," Alois practically snarls.

Bruce's eyes darken at the insult. "You little bitch. Was that a death threat?"

"No, I wouldn't kill you. I'd just rip your eyes out of their sockets and make those two eat them." His eyes were so vicious Bruce almost believed him. _Almost._

"_Alois,_" I hiss and step in front of him to pull him away from the other three. "Let's―"

I freeze as Alois' hand shot out and grabbed the other, much larger hand that was about to hit me from behind. In one second flat, Alois was able to twist Ross' hand and bring it back down and behind him in such a painful angle that he was forced to hunch over. With a sadistic smile on his face, Alois twists harder and Ross falls to the ground, letting a pained noise escape from his lips.

"Alois!" Like I did a moment ago, Alois freezes and hesitates before releasing the older boy from his hold. He sneers one last time at the shocked trio, before walking up to me and taking me by the arm.

"C'mon Ciel! Let's ditch this trash and start planning the party like before we were _so_ rudely interrupted!" Alois smiles brilliantly and pulls me along to the far end of the field, under a giant deciduous tree. There, we sit quietly. I pull out my sketchbook from my shoulder bag and start sketching. I feel Alois leaning against the trunk of the large tree.

I've never seen Alois act that savagely before. Sure, he's always been protective of me for some unknown reason and defended me, but _never_ has he threatened to rip someone's eyes out of their sockets! I think…it scares me a little. I've always wondered about Alois' mental health, but I've never thought that he could be a threat. It was _Alois,_ the flamboyant blonde I've known for seven years. But the way he acted back there, that cruel look in his eyes as he smiled at the boy's pain… It makes me wonder where that hatred has suddenly surfaced from.

"She's beautiful," Alois murmurs, his voice much closer than it used to be. I look down and stare at my sketch. It was of a woman's face, her bangs gradually becoming longer as they descend to her nose. Alois was right; she _was_ beautiful, with full lips and long eyelashes, surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of roses. "Who is it?"

"Aunt Ann," I say before I can stop myself.

Alois looks curiously. "I didn't know you had an aunt."

"I don't." Alois raises an eyebrow and tilts his head sideways. I, myself, try to remember where I've seen this face. It was in one of my dreams, visions, whatever. I was at a funeral, Sebastian standing behind me with rose petals bellowing around the church.

"Oh, is she another one of your memories?" Alois asks, intrigued. "Tell me 'bout her too!"

Another reason I keep Alois around is because he actually believes me that my dreams are real, that they actually happened. He's the only one I can talk to about these occurrences.

"I don't remember much about Aunt Ann. She was called 'Madam Red' because of her love for the color, that's why I brought roses for her funeral. That said, I can't recall the cause of her death…" I murmur, frowning, trying to remember the Madam. There were feelings of great angst attached to this particular memory so she must've been particularly important to me.

Alois hums. "She was very young so I wonder if it was natural... Anyhow, about the party in two days, what drinks should we get? Cause everyone has different tastes… Oh this is sooo hard! And music! I need to make a new playlist! And…"

I groan, listening to him rattle off about the things he needs to do. "Why don't you plan the party for a latter date? Besides, is anyone going to show up with _two_ _days_ notice only?"

"Of course! I've already got fifteen people coming and it's only been two hours! We're gonna have a full house," Alois smirks excitedly. I eye him warily. Parties weren't really my thing, but if Alois was hosting it I'd be forced to go. Still, I can't shake this weary feeling.

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><p>The bow glides gracefully against the strings, playing rapidly, the melody flowing throughout the room. Ever since I've been young, I've had an inexplicable talent at playing the violin. I wonder if it has something to do with my past life? This beautiful instrument that sings so hauntingly… The only thing I love more than playing it is painting.<p>

"Caelum! Get up here, _right now_!" I flinch at the hated name my family calls me. With that tone of voice, my mother sounds pretty angry. Reluctantly, I place my violin back in its case and jog up the stairs to my bedroom.

"What is it?" I ask as I pass my threshold and calmly look her in the eyes.

"What do you mean _what_? This painting! What are you thinking, Caelum?" Lucis, a.k.a. mother, picks up a canvas covered in red. The main image is of a man with flowing red hair, red glasses, dressed in a red coat. Not only that, but there was crimson blood dripping down his smirking face and all over the chainsaw he was holding. Ah. I see what the problem might be. "This is horrible! Disgusting! Do we need to take you to the shrink again?"

I glower at her words. Never again am I seeing that psychiatrist! They thought that I was delusional and tried to get me to take medication because sometimes I couldn't pick apart my dreams from reality since I was so young. It was then that I realized that I would have to keep my dreams to myself because these people couldn't help me, just make me so jacked up on meds that nothing really mattered anyway. I had decided that I would have to rely on only myself to solve these visions and act mature; it was surprisingly easy. Being mature and acting much older than my age was something I picked up from my past life, along with my well mannerisms and being able to play the violin.

Also, I'm pretty peeved at they way she insulted my painting. Sure, the theme was pretty gruesome, but I did do a pretty good job. The only reason I painted it was to help figure out parts of my memory. Whenever I see a new person, I paint a picture of them so I remember where and what situation I saw them in. For this man-gone-woman's case, it was a very brief, choppy memory of him fighting Sebastian. Unfortunately, there wasn't any audio either, just small soundless skits so I have no clue who he is.

"No, it'd be a waste of time and money. It's just a painting, mother, please leave it alone." I walk over to take back my canvas but she holds it away. I frown.

"I found this hidden behind your bed," she curtly says.

My eyes widen. "You've been searching my room? That's a breach of privacy! How dare you!"

"No, _how dare you!_ I am your mother, I may do as I please. You have no right to speak to me that way, Caelum Jay Shanin!" Lucis snaps, fire burning in her eyes.

"_That's not my name_," I mutter under my breath, shaking from anger.

"Don't mumble under your breath either! You know, I think these horrible paintings hanging all over your walls are having a bad influence on you. I'm going to throw them out." She then proceeds to take another canvas from my wall, this time one of my favorites. It was a picture of Sebastian holding a tray of sweets. Oh how I wish I could taste those delectable pastries again…

By now, I'm furious. "If you take those away from me, I will _never_ forgive you."

"Fine. Keep your paintings, but next time you wake up screaming from nightmares, don't expect any sympathy from me." Lucis finally chucks the paintings on the bed and storms out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Immediately after, I collapse onto my bed, emotionally drained. I turn slightly and run my fingers over my beloved paintings, the only keys to my hidden memories. Enjoying the rough feeling of the dried acrylics, I close my eyes and fall into a sleepless sleep.

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><p><em>I ran through the hallways, looking for mother and father. Where were they? It was supposed to be my birthday! I had found their bedroom, but it was so hot. Nevertheless, I turned the knob, bursting into the room. There was fire, everywhere. Murals were melting, furniture turning to ashes and in the middle of it on the ground lay mother. Get up Mommy! There's no time to take a nap! Then, I saw father in his usual chair. Maybe he could help me carry Mommy away. Father― no! Oh, god no! Please, somebody help them! Mother, Father! Don't worry, I'll find help.<em>

_I ran back to the hallways, looking desperately for someone to help me. Mr. Tanaka! Please you've got to― What was that? Run away? But―! You're bleeding… A pair of arms clasped me from behind and it all went black. _

_I opened my eyes again and it's a different scene. Everything aches and I was all dirty. I had cuts and bruises everywhere that were filled with dirt and infection. There were others in this cage but I paid no attention to them, wallowing in my own misery. Then I was out of the cage and they were hurting me again. They hurt me until my throat was so raw from screaming that I could barely utter a noise, and then they would rape me again and again. So much blood... I was going to die. There was no God._

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><p>I wake up choking back screams, covered in sweat. I lie there in bed, next to my beloved canvases, shaking as shadows cover me. The protective light from the moon is non existent behind the thick clouds. All I could see was the everlasting darkness, waiting to devour me. Forever, I shall be haunted by these horrifying memories cloaked in black and red.<p>

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><p>AN:** Hopefully this intrigued you. Don't worry, Sebastian _will_ come soon, i just have to get through the intro. Next chapter, Alois' party and a problem arises ;) **


	2. Visions, Monsters and Bodies

**Hello again! This is my second chapter of 'Memories of Cake and Death'. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and those who read this story! It really makes my day ^^ I'm not sure if I enjoy this chapter as much, but I'm almost done with the intro. I want to rush straight into the action but that wouldn't make for a well thought out story... I'll try to update soon but I'm leaving for a few days and I won't have internet access, so that's why I tried to finish this chapter before I left. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Pairings: SebastianxCiel, one-sided GrellxSebastian, mostly one-sided AloisxCiel **

**Warnings: ****Mature language, sexual scenes (but no lemons, srry ^^;), Yaoi, a couple OCs (nothing major though cause I hate them too so I hope they don't bother you), gore. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuj**

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><p>It's Friday. Last night I fell asleep thinking about the murder of Bruce. Yesterday, Thursday, the body of Bruce Johnson was found ditched in the gutter of a road near the high school, his throat slit. Unfortunately, his body was succumbed to severe torture before he was finally given his sweet release. His body was covered in deep wounds, flesh missing from some parts as if ripped or bitten off and his eyes were removed. I know this because I was the one who discovered him, me and Mare.<p>

We were walking to school like usual when we saw a large crow picking at something in the ditch. Of course, I was curious to see what poor animal had been run over and started shooing the black bird away. However, I was horribly surprised to see the face of my class mate instead of the rodent I was expecting. Behind me, I could hear Mare retching violently all over the road, but all I could do was stare at the body with wide blue eyes. When the sent of puke caught up to me I could barely hold myself from throwing up myself. I covered my eyes for a moment and took some deep breaths to calm myself before taking out my cell phone. My small fingers quickly pressed the four buttons needed to phone the emergency services.

"_999 Emergencies, which service do you require?"_

"I've found a dead body on Wing St by Jefferson High School. It's a male student and quite clearly a murder; so I suggest you send someone soon before the evidence is tampered with," I stated calmly with a strong voice. If I sounded like a weak child, they wouldn't believe me and I'd be stuck here with this cadaver. Even so, I was very disturbed by the sight of the boy in such a state.

"_Uh right away, sir! May I please have your name?" _The woman on the other side asked.

I stopped myself before I said my true name and said, "Caelum Shanin".

"_Okay, well Mr. Shanin, just _stay calm." My eyebrow ticked. "_The police are coming so wait there until they have arrived because they'll have some questions. Now don't worry__―__"_

I flipped my phone shut to cease the woman's useless words. I understood quite well what the procedure was, having watched television before. Honestly, with the things they air it's like they _want_ to teach kids to commit unsolvable murders!

I looked back at my brother. He was wiping his mouth off with his sleeve. Walking over there, I said, "I've already phoned the police. Let's wait over here until they arrive."

Mare sent me a strange look. "…Right." He took another glance at the corps and flinched. "Hey, doesn't that kid go to our high school?

"Yeah. He was in one of my classes. Can't say I'll miss him too much, but he didn't deserve to die." Well, maybe. He wasn't a good person and he bullied people weaker than him, so perhaps he did deserve this. However, I wasn't dumb enough to actually say that out loud. It was bad enough they were probably going to question students from the school and I didn't need my brother mentioning anything that would make me look guilty.

The sounds of sirens filled the otherwise quiet street and I watched as police cars come over the small hill. They sped down to where me and Mare were standing since we were the only ones on this street and parked around us. Then, a woman calmly approached us, a slight frown on her forehead.

"Were you the ones who phoned about a dead body?" she asked.

"Uh…" My brother started nervously.

I stepped in front of him. "Yes. He's over there in the ditch." I said, motioning with my left hand where I was speaking about. She nodded and ordered some of her comrades to start investigating, staring in disgust at the body. "His name was Bruce Johnson. We go to the same high school and he was in grade ten. I don't know much else about him though." I told the cop.

She quickly noted something down on a note pad. "Right. I'll need your guys' names and numbers." We told her and she dismissed us.

Mare went home to get changed since he had puke on his clothes, but I also think he just needed to be alone. I understood, because so did I. Alois was worried, I think, because I was very quiet that day, more than usual.

As I was saying, last night my sleep was disturbed by my thoughts of the murder. That said, I didn't see Bruce in my dreams, instead a fairly pretty blonde. She, too, was dead. It was night and she was waving, leaving her friends for home. Deciding to take a short cut through the park, _something_ attacked her. Unfortunately, it was too dark for me to see what exactly killed this woman, but it was horrible. I could hear her screams of anguish and faintly see the blood spraying from her wounds.

I really hope that was just a regular nightmare inspired by what I'd seen earlier that day, because it can't be one of my memories. I've noticed that whenever I dream about my past, everything is old, probably from the 1800s considering the dress style. Last night, though, it was obvious that it was the present since I could see the bright pub sign from the bar she had left and hear the cars constantly speeding by.

Deciding to push the disturbing dream to the back of my head, I get ready for school like usual. Today, mother isn't here. We've barely spoken since the fight two days ago, but I'm not too bothered by it. She's glad I'm going to Alois' tonight, but I didn't tell her it was a party. Somehow, Lucis has this strange image of Alois being the perfect and most innocent kid. She has no idea that he loves to party, get drunk and flamboyantly flirt with anything that's 'cute' or 'sexy'.

I'm surprised to not see Mare already downstairs when I go to eat breakfast. I shrug and make breakfast like usual, deciding that maybe he's just slept in. But once I've finished eating, I figure I should go check up on him. I jog up the stairs and walk to his room.

"Mare! Are you coming?" I ask, knocking on his door, before opening it after receiving no answer. There, I see my brother lying in his bed. He's really pale and there are dark circles under his eyes. "You look like crap," I state.

"Mph." Mare opens his eyes tiredly. He must've had an even worse night than me. "I couldn't sleep at all last night. I might come to school at lunch 'cause I have a test… Mhn."

Mare buries his face in the blankets and waves me off. I decide I might as well leave him alone.

"Well, your breakfast is on the counter if you want―" I was rudely cut off by a blaring honk from outside. I flinch at the noise as Mare groans and pulls a pillow on top of his head, trying to block it out. "God damn it, Alois." I mumble.

Going downstairs, I grab my school bag and open the front door. There, on the side of the road, Alois sits in his teal SUV with a giant grin on his face. I growl and get in his car, almost slamming the door.

"Couldn't you have knocked or something instead of blasting your horn?" I ask, annoyed.

"Mm no. It's more fun this way. I like it when you're angry, you get the cutest expressions on your face," Alois winks and puts his grandparents car into drive.

"Shut up," I snap, my face going red automatically. Because I was angry, of course.

Alois doesn't usually drive to school since we both live really close to it, but since his grandparents are gone, he must've decided to take it. Also, he just got his license last month. I'm pretty sure it's illegal for him to be driving with me since he's only an 'L' and doesn't have adult supervision. However, Alois doesn't really seem to care about laws so it doesn't matter.

It's always… an experience, let's say, when you're driving with Alois. When it's a straight road, he thinks it's perfectly okay to speed as fast as you can and don't stop at stop signs or lights if no ones around. Luckily, he has great reflexes, so we didn't die that one time a semi was coming though a blind corner. He has been getting slightly better though, so it's not as terrifying to be with him.

I eye Alois; he's practically bouncing in his seat from some sort of excitement, which can't be good while you're driving. "What?"

Alois lets out a dramatic sigh. "Ciel! How aren't you as excited as I am for tonight? It's going to be fabulous! _Everyone's_ coming!"

"Oh yay," I say sarcastically. Alois pouts and I roll my eyes. "You _know_ I don't enjoy parties much, Alois. Especially dancing."

"Sooo, don't dance~ There are still plenty of other activities we can engage in." He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively.

I ignore him. Honestly this kid is the most pervy kid I've ever met in _both_ my lives!

Alois' cell phone rings and he reaches over to get it. I lift my eyes tiredly to the road―

"_Alois!_" I shout with wide eyes, but it was too late. The SUV crashes into a grey black form and Alois hits the breaks. We sat there, panting.

"Damn it," Alois whispers. He takes his seatbelt off and opens his door; I do the same and walk to the front of the car. Alois' eyes widen and he stumbles backwards, his mouth gaping. "_What the fuck is that?_"

I turn to look at the form lying still at the front of the car, covered in black ooze. I choke back a gasp as I see the creature. It doesn't seem to have any eyes, but an extremely long head with a gaping jaw full of sharp teeth. The body's very lanky and bony, grey skin stretched tightly across the skinny body. I assume the black liquid is its blood or something.

Alois goes to take a step towards it but I grab his arm. "Don't. I don't know what the hell this is, but it can't be good," I try to convince him and pull him back.

"It'll be fine, it's dead," he reassures me, staring into my blue eyes. I frown but let him go. He takes a step closer. "Oh god, this is disgusting." He goes to take another step, but the creature suddenly moves and jumps at him. "_Shit!_"

"_Alois!_" I panic and reach out to him.

Suddenly, I'm staring out the window again, sitting in the SUV. I'm shaking slightly, wondering what the fuck just happened.

"…still plenty of other activities we can engage in." Alois turns to wiggle his eyes suggestively at me, but pauses when he sees me. "Hey, are you alright? You look pale."

I stare at my closest friend, still in shock. I open my mouth to answer, but a ringtone starts playing. Alois reaches to get it. "STOP THE CAR!" I shout loudly and Alois' hand jolts backwards as he hits the break.

"What―" A large dark grey form races past the front of the car and is out of sight in a mere second. Alois stares for a moment at the spot where the strange form had been, then looks at me. "Ciel… how…?"

I shake my head. "I-I don't know. I s-saw this happen already, just a moment ago. You hit that-that _thing_ so we got out of the car to see what you hit. I don't know how to explain it with out sounding like a psych ward patient, but it was an actual monster or alien― I don't know. You went to look at it, but then it suddenly attacked you. Then, I was back sitting in your car again." I stare unseeingly at my knees.

Alois puts his hand on my shoulder and forces me to look at him. "Well, whatever happened, its okay now, thanks to you." Alois looks thoughtful. "I wonder if maybe you can not only see the past but the future as well…"

"I don't know. I guess it's possible. But, damn it, I thought you were dead," I snap, frustrated, running a hand through my hair. I can feel Alois staring at me and it's starting to bother me, but he starts the car again. I stare silently out the window.

Why the hell do these things keep happening to me? First, I have dreams about my past life, which wasn't very cheerful. Then, I see the murdered body of a kid from my school. And now, I can apparently see a terrifying future as well. But I suppose that last one is sort of useful, considering Alois would be dead right now if I hadn't known what was coming. Why though? Why couldn't I just have a normal life? I miss the innocence of my childhood before I was plagued with the constant nightmares; I was actually happy.

"We're here." Alois puts the car in park and gets out of the car. I follow silently behind him. "Cheer up, Ciel!" He goes to grab my cheeks and force me to smile. I have a strange sense of déjà vu. Great, now I'm becoming paranoid. I slap his hands away and he pouts.

"I'll see you later, Alois," I mutter. He raises an eyebrow but I leave. I wasn't the only one quiet today; by now, many others had heard about the death of their classmate. The day seemed to drag on. In art I draw a quick sketch of the lady I dreamt about last night.

She has long, wavy blonde hair that goes to her shoulders and dark colored eyes. Her face is slightly curved with a straight nose. I think she had freckles, but it was hard to tell in the light, so I shade them in slightly. Overall, she was pretty cute and unremarkable. I wonder how I dreamt of her though, since I don't believe I've ever met this woman.

* * *

><p>Well, like Alois said, it's a full house. Probably overflowing, actually. Alois' house isn't gigantic, but it is pretty big. It's two floors with an attic as well and a large back yard which composes of a heated pool, hot tub and a volleyball net. There's music blasting through the stereos playing popular and up beat songs while kids dance and hook up, already drunk. Others are eating from the haphazardly placed bowls of snacks, swimming and having a good time.<p>

A hand grabs me from behind and I turn around to glare at yet another drunk who thinks it's practical to start shoving their tongue down random teenagers' throats and that they'll never end up catching some disease. Honestly, it's almost amusing to see how many different kids kids hook up with at parties; it's practically like they end up kissing everyone in the room!

My mistake. It's just Alois, who isn't drunk yet, surprisingly.

"Ciel, come with me! Stop being so boring," Alois says as he drags me to the kitchen. He picks up a blender full of red-ish pink slush and pours two cups full of it. I frown as he hands one to me. "Try it; it's really good!"

"What is it?" I question and sniff the liquid. Immediately I can smell the alcohol that must've been added, but also the sent of strawberries.

"Strawberry daiquiri! I figured you'd like this since you enjoy sweet things," Alois says smartly and takes a big sip of the drink.

I eye the drink warily. Alcohol's not really my thing but at least I know this won't be drugged if Alois made it. He might drink, but Alois has made it quite clear that he wouldn't do drugs. I carefully take a sip and blink, surprised that it was actually quite good. It didn't taste like that god awful vodka or whiskey or whatever it was I drank last time. I could still taste the alcohol, but it complimented the overall sweetness of the drink. Taking another sip from the sugary drink, I thoroughly enjoyed the taste of strawberries.

"See? I told you it was good!" Alois says happily, grabbing the blender. "C'mon, let's go to the pool area."

I follow Alois outside, deciding that I might as well finish this one drink since I've already started. But no more than one, because I'm a responsible and mature person, not some kid who gets drunk at parties.

A few of glasses later, I'm starting to doubt myself. Mature people don't jump into the pool fully clothed. Then again, to be mature you're supposed to be an adult… and adults drink all the time right? So, in a way I've become more mature by drinking!

I nod, satisfied by my logic.

"If you say so, Caelum." I look to my left to see a kid laughing at me. Wait…did he just read my mind? "Of course I didn't! You've been speaking out loud the whole time!"

I stare incredulously at him. He just did it again! How rude! Doesn't he have any sense of privacy?

The boy rolls his eyes at me and I glare at him.

"Ciel," Alois states in surprise. "Why are you in the pool in your normal clothes?"

I ignore his question and get out of the pool, thoroughly annoyed with the boy that was in there. Grabbing Alois' arm, I hurriedly take him out of range of the kid's psychic powers.

"Alois, I'm pretty sure that boy's actually an alien," I state gravely.

Alois stares at me for a moment before he bursts out laughing. "How much of that stuff did you drink, bud?" Chuckling, he pulls me along.

"I'm _serious_, Alois," I whine. "He could read minds! Wait, where are you taking me?"

"If you haven't noticed, you're soaked. I'll allow you to borrow some of my clothes, but just because I'm such a fabulous friend," Alois says dramatically.

I nod appreciatively. "That's very kind of you."

We go into his bedroom and I flop onto the bed as he closes the door. Alois' room is very nice. He has a queen size bed with a golden duvet and many feathery golden pillows. Also, he was a large closet full, and I mean _full_, of clothes and his own bathroom. Looking over to my side, I notice that his black drapes are covering his windows from the front yard. Unlike my room that's full of art, Alois has taped pictures on one side of his wall, consisting of actual photographs and random crap he found interesting in magazines.

"Dry off," Alois mutters as he tosses me a fluffy towel and starts searching for something that'll fit me, since Alois is taller than I am.

I start drying off my hair and take off my eye patch that miraculously wasn't lost in the pool. Alois is the only one I really trust to be around to take off my eye patch since he never judges me. My own family even judges me, albeit silently. Always, I can feel them staring at the discolored eye when ever I don't happen to be wearing the cover. It's still a little uncomfortable for me to take it off, though.

"Here. You can wear these." Alois hands me some of his clothes. "Change in the bathroom."

I walk into the pristine washroom and start getting changed. I eye the black shorts he's given me that would usually be to short for my liking, but I can't really find myself caring at the moment. Curiously, I note the brand stitched on the rim of the pants: _Sutcliff_. I'm pretty sure that's the store Alois enjoys shopping at the most, since a lot of the clothes seem more feminine. However, I hear it's a pretty expensive brand and most people don't have more than a couple favorite articles from the store.

I put on the oversized navy blue t-shirt. Pausing before I leave, I remember to pick up my clothes and hang them to dry. Satisfied, I smile and leave the bathroom.

Alois looks over at me and smiles suggestively. "You should wear short shorts more often, Ciel. They really do your body wonders."

I find myself blushing automatically. "…really?" I ask timidly. I go to take another step forward, but somehow the ground moved by itself and through me off balance.

"Woah," I say with wide eyes as Alois catches me before I fall to the ground.

"You're really drunk, aren't you? There's no way you would've said that sober." Alois smirks at me. "I'm so proud."

"I'm not drunk, Alois!" I declare proudly. "Maybe just a _tiny_ bit tipsy, see?" I motion with my fingers how small I meant.

Alois laughs at me and I blink.

"You smell good," I tell him.

"W―what?" he stutters with wide eyes, not suspecting that.

"Maybe…" I lean close to him curiously and press my lips against his, wanting to see if he tastes as good as he smells at the moment. Alois stands stalk still as I let my tongue slip past my lips and caress his. "Mhm," I left out a satisfied noise as I lean back slightly.

He tasted like cinnamon with a touch of that addicting illegal beverage. Deciding that I rather like that taste I lean in again. Alois, finally getting over his shock, pulls me against him, his eyes clouded over with something indescribable. He moans quietly as I push my tongue into his mouth and wrap my fingers in his hair. Suddenly, I'm no longer in control and he's pushing me backwards, kissing me so hungrily it's as if he's starving. I gasp as my back hits the wall, and Alois takes full advantage of it. It's no longer just wanting to taste that delicious cinnamon flavor, now I just don't want this feeling to end. Our bodies pushed up against each other, tongues gliding against one another's, battling for dominance. Then, Alois pulls back. I stare at him, confused. He leans in and presses his lips one last time against mine before resting his head against my neck.

"You're not yourself, Ciel," he murmurs bellow my ear. "You'll regret it in the morning."

Alois pulls away from me and goes to leave. "Alois," I reach out to grab his arm, but he draws it away.

"I―," he hesitates, before shaking his head. "I'll be back. I just need some fresh air."

I watch as Alois quietly leaves, shutting the door behind him, my eyes showing no emotion. I feel… confused. My mind still feels a little foggy, like there is something obvious that I'm missing. I sigh and run my tongue over my lips. Well, at least I know it wasn't a hallucination. I lie down on the giant bed, feeling very dull and plain.

A little while later, I feel someone sit beside me on the bed and everything seems a little better. Like Nelly Furtado would say, all good things come to an end. However, as long as you cherish and remember those wondrous moments, they're never truly over. I fall asleep with the sent of cinnamon evading my senses.

* * *

><p>A wake up in the morning a little confused about my whereabouts, and the headache I have isn't helping. I open my eyes carefully and am glad that the thick drapes are covering Alois' window. Wait, why was I in his bedroom? Looking around, I note that Alois isn't in here. I go to get up when I'm hit with a wave of dizziness. Moaning in frustration, I grab my head and wondered how much I actually drank last night. I thought I was going to have only one glass, but it's quite apparent that I didn't keep my resolution to withstand the tempting drink.<p>

Fighting off the dizziness, I walk to the washroom and splash cold water on my face. There! That was better. I rub the water out of my eyes and freeze as I see my reflection. These aren't my clothes! In fact, they do look familiar though… Damn it, Alois! Where the hell are you?

Determined to get some answers as to why I was not only sleeping in his room but wearing his clothes too, I start to leave the bathroom but spot something. Hanging on the towel rack is a heap of clothes; my clothes, to be exact. They seem to be thoroughly soaked though. I try to remember how that happened. Umm, I was with Alois by the pool and we were drinking for a while. Then he left and I think I might've fallen or jumped in the pool… Well, somehow I must've ended up in there, because the clothes also smell of chlorine water.

Pretty sure I don't like these memory losses or the headaches, I decide I'm never getting drunk again. Hopefully I didn't do anything stupid while I was in that state, because I'm pretty sure I wasn't even _that_ drunk…

I sigh and leave Alois' room, lazily tying on my discarded eye patch to block out the annoying light. Wandering into the kitchen, I spot Alois making toast.

Alois turns around and spots me. He waves enthusiastically and shouts, "Good morning, Ciel!"

I hiss at him and cover my ears. "Don't be so loud," I snap and he smirks.

"Why, Ciel? Do you have a hangover?" he taunts, grabbing a couple of plates and glasses.

"No, just a headache," I mumble. "I don't really feel sick."

"Here." Alois hands me a cup of water. "You're probably just dehydrated."

I drink from the glass and use the remote to turn the TV on. The news is on.

"God, I can't even remember what happened last night," I say while setting my glass on the counter.

Alois pauses. "… You don't remember any of it?"

"Well, I remember most of what I did; just not much after the pool incident." My eyes widen. I ask, full of dread for the answer, "Why? Did I do something I should remember?"

"Oh, nothing really…" he tries to say with his usual carefree, but I'm not too convinced. "You fell asleep pretty soon after I got you out of the pool, so it's not like you can't remember most of the night."

"That's good, I suppose…" I trail off, eyeing Alois warily. The atmosphere almost felt… awkward? I've never felt uncomfortable around Alois before, but I think he's not telling me something about last night.

Something suddenly catches my attention on the news. I turn it up quickly and watch with dawning horror.

"… _The body of young Alana Smith was found yesterday in Birch Park. We can't __release much detail, but her body was brutally slashed up and disfigured…"_

I rush over to my bag and quickly grab my art sketchbook and return to the TV, opening up my page from yesterday. Blonde hair and a straight nose…

"…_a photo of Ms Alana Smith. If you have any information please contact the following number…"_

"No way," Alois murmurs, looking between the mirror image of my sketch and the picture of the television.

* * *

><p><em>Guilt: -noun 1. A feeling of responsibility or remorse for some offense, crime, wrong, etc., whether real or imagined. <em>

Do I feel guilty about the death of this lady I never met? I'm not sure… Maybe if I had tried to find her she wouldn't be dead right now. However, maybe if I had found her _I'd_ be the one lying in a bloody mess in the park. I hate this. Regretting the past and thinking that 'maybe if I had done this or that it would've been different'. It's too damn late to change the past so there's no use fretting over it. Unfortunately, my reasoning doesn't make me feel any less guilty about her death, but it does resolve me more to act in the present while I have the chance, before it's too late. Instead of being scared of the condemning future and my terrifying dreams, I'll embrace them with open arms prepared to fight. And maybe, maybe I'll be able to save at least one person…

Sweet dreams…

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry that Sebastian still isn't in here yet. I'm planning on getting him in at the end of the nxt chapter and I'm dedicating chapter 4 to him, probably ;) I hope you enjoyed this chapter and it wasn't too boring or anything. If you're curious as to what Alois hit with the car, do you remember in the early chpaters of the manga where Sebastian expressed his love for cats and showed an image of their 'pets' in hell? That's what I was sort of going for ;) For those who aren't AxC fans, there won't be many scenes like this at all, it was only because Ciel was a little tipsy. **

**Please review if you have the time, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, so tell me if you like it or not and what I can improve on! Flames are allowed as long as it's constructive criticism. ^^**


	3. Discoveries, Covered in Blood and Pain

**Hello everybody! Sorry it's been so long; I've had a super busy week! This chapter's a little longer, so maybe it'll make up for it? Maybe? I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as well since it's finally starting to get into the action! Sort of ^^; Anyhow, thanks to everyone's who's reviewed and added it to their favs, etc. I really appreciate it! As promised, Sebastian makes his grand entrance in this chapter! **

**Warnings*Mature language, sexual scenes (but no lemons, srry ^^;), Yaoi, a couple OCs :( , gore**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji**

* * *

><p>It's been five days since Alois' party; five more bodies have been found. The murders are all over the news, new speculations happening each day about the mysterious killings. People are starting to get really worried since each day this person is able to kill so secretively that the police <em>still<em> have no leads. They're dumbfounded, since the killer leaves no trace of evidence behind, wiping everything he touches, there weren't any fingerprints or even a hair left behind at the scene. It's not just kids or ladies he (or she?) kills too. Tuesday, the body of a renowned UFC fighter native to our town was found ripped apart in a passageway. Since then, the city has put on a curfew of six o'clock for children and suggested for adults. If they happen to decide to stay out, it is suggested to stay in groups of two. And yet, the killings haven't even slowed down.

I've been trying more than ever to figure out the random views I'm shown while sleeping, but their meanings are elusive as ever. The dreams are always full of people whom I've never met, events that haven't happened. That said, I haven't dreamt of any of the people who have been killed recently.

Staring frustrated at a recent sketch I did, I place it moodily on my desk. I've started a recent portfolio of drawings that I've done and stuck them in there to try and help in decipher _something_ that may be useful. By portfolio, I mean a cheap blue binder I found lying around in a drawer. My most recent sketch was of a man lying in a pool of his own blood, clearly dead. His clouded eyes were starring blankly at nothing, the long gold hair spread around him like wings. Unfortunately, it was just a quick flash image with no 'video' to explain more about him. I write a large question mark on a canary yellow sticky note and place it on the back of the image before sliding it into a protective clear sheet in my binder.

The whole sticky note thing is to help me get my thoughts clearer and to not forget details. On the back of each of my drawings and paintings I put a sticky note with my scrawled out thoughts on them. For example, I have a section in my portfolio dedicated just to this Sebastian Michealis. I have deduced that he must've been my servant or whatnot back in my previous life, that he enjoys the color black, and that he manages to do things far beyond human capability. Flipping through a couple of pages, I note a picture I drew a while ago of him, but his crimson eyes seem to be almost glowing. On the back, there is a sticky note with the word _"Demon"_. Faintly, I remember calling him that in this certain memory, but that's surely just an exaggeration on my part. Then again, with that freaky monster thing I saw Friday, I'm not too sure…

The door suddenly opens. I stiffen.

"Caelum, what are you doing up?" A male voice asks gruffly from my doorway.

I turn to look at my father who came back a few days ago from a business trip. I notice his eyes stare at my right one for a moment before he quickly avoids them, which annoys me greatly. "Does it bother you that much father that I was born with a physical alteration? In fact, it was probably your fault anyway, or mother's, since I have your genes." He pauses awkwardly and I narrow my eyes at him. "What?"

"You have to stop this strange behavior, Caelum!" I notice irritatingly that he completely avoids my questions. "Your mother and I have had it up to here with it! Four in the morning, or earlier, is not a reasonable time to get up and start drawing these morbid pictures." He walks over and eyes my most recent sketch. "I don't understand what in God's name possesses you to draw these types of things, Caelum."

"I prefer Ciel," I tell him for the hundredth time. Honestly, why can't anyone but that blond idiot get it right?

"No. Your name is Caelum and it's going to remain that," he informs me.

"Fine, _Jackson_," I say, calling him by his first name to annoy him. It works splendidly.

He frowns at me. "Whatever. Just get to bed; you have school in the morning. You don't want your grades slipping because of sleep deprivation," he says as he shuts off my bedroom light.

Going to sleep sounded good, but first I was really hungry. A midnight, or early morning, snack couldn't do any harm.

I quietly sneak down the stairs and to the kitchen, rummaging through the cupboards for a treat. I spot a bag of chocolate chip cookies in the back and decide that they'll have to do. Taking a grand chomp out of a cookie, I smile with satisfaction and leave the kitchen. I'm passing my parents bedrooms when I hear whispers. Pretty sure that I hear my name, I curiously press my ear lightly to the door, shamelessly eavesdropping.

"…worried. I don't understand why he is so obsessed with that art." I hear my mother.

"It might be nothing, maybe he's just expressing himself. God knows he doesn't show any honest emotions around us." I suppose I should feel guilty about that, but I don't.

"Yes…" my mother says, unconvinced. "I'm just worried that he might find out something though."

I frown. Find out what? My father starts to speak, "The chances of that are miniscule. However, I believe we should tell him about―" I push my ear harder against the door, straining to hear better. Sadly, the door wasn't firmly shut and it creaks open a centimeter. My father freezes what he was saying and I jump away from the door, all but sprinting up the stairs to my room. This is the first time I realize how thankful I am to our carpeted ground that masks my footsteps. I all but throw myself under the covers and pretend to sleep. A few seconds later, I hear the predicted heavy footsteps climbing the stairs and my door opens loudly.

Deciding to put my acting skills to good use, I sit up at the sound, groaning and rubbing my eyes as if I was almost asleep before he interrupted. "_What_?" I slur tiredly. "I thought you wanted me to sleep?"

"Quit fooling around. Were you just downstairs?" Jackson demands.

"Downstairs? What are you talking about? I was trying to sleep," I say, acting slightly confused, but mostly annoyed. It's a good thing I know myself so well; I play a pretty convincing Ciel.

He narrows his eyes, his forehead creasing in the process, trying to determine if I'm lying or not. "All right. Goodnight, Caelum."

"Goodnight, Jackson," I say sarcastically and fall back into my pillows, determined to get some actual sleep.

That's easier said than done when you've just heard that your parents are hiding multiple things from you.

* * *

><p>By morning, I'm super grouchy. I've never been a morning person, but last night I got barely any extra sleep before I had to get up again.<p>

I see the rest of my family already eating by time I get downstairs. Grumpily, I take a seat and practically attack my food. I don't give a crap about my mannerisms this morning, I just need my tea.

Jackson is a tall man, probably 6'2'' and has more muscle than the average man. He has short and straight brown hair, green eyes and a round face. Because of his height, people can find him intimidating, but if you look just at his face he seems harmless enough. That is, unless he's angry. Thankfully, he seems to have forgotten about earlier this morning.

"Dad, I'm hanging out with a couple of friends tonight because I have football practice, 'kay?" Mare comments lazily, scooping up the last bits of food.

Father looks tentative about the idea but nods. "All right, but come home right after practice is done. You know it's not safe out there right now."

"Yeah, yeah." Mare waves him off and puts his plate in the sink.

"What about you? Do you have any plans after school?" Jackson asks me, smiling.

I eye him. "…No."

"I see." There's an awkward silence.

"Right. Well, I'm going to go," I state and proceed to leave.

* * *

><p>We started martial arts in gym today, the school thinking we should teach it earlier in the year since all these killings keep happening. That said, some of us don't need the training. By that, I mean Alois. Alois has been taking Tae Kwon Do for years now and has easily managed to reach black belt. If I were to compare Alois to something, it'd be a tornado; he destroys everything in his path. His stamina and reflexes are crazy and he just keeps coming. I've been to a couple of his tournaments and testings, so I can say first hand that he is <em>not<em> someone you want to fight.

Probably the scariest thing about Alois when he fights is that he enjoys it so much. I'm pretty sure the psychotic grin he wears whenever he's sparring is a major contributing factor to his success, since everyone's too afraid to attack. However, it's always interesting when a new black belt comes around and gets a chance to spar Alois. Where Alois lacks brains, he definitely makes up for it with speediness as he dodges almost every kick and punch thrown at him, then rapidly counters back with an insane spinning jumping kick to the face.

"Ciel, stop blanking out," Alois chides me, shaking his head in disapproval. "If you do that in a fight, you'll die ya know~"

I stare at him. "Thanks, Alois," I deadpan. "I'm glad someone has confidence in me."

"Now when you do a spin hook kick, make sure you lean back farther so that your bodies in a straight line. It'll give you more power if you do that," Alois tells me while holding a hand target. I try the kick again and manage to hit the target a little harder, but with the side of my foot. "That was a little better, but with the wrong part of the foot."

"All right class, time to start sparring! Get your gear on!" the gym teacher shouts, his hands cupped to his lips. There were some groans and many masculine yells of approval from guys, trying to prove themselves in front of girls. I groan on the inside, not really wanting to fight.

Alois and I sit a little away from the rest of the group to watch the sparring. Every once in a while, Alois would point things out to me that could be improved in each persons' technique. I, on the other hand, would analyze how the person moved and which side and techniques they preferred so that we could be prepared if we had to fight them. Not that it really mattered for Alois, but I don't train regularly, so I figure I might as well try to gain the advantage on my opponent.

"Next up, Alois Hallington. I understand that you've had previous training, so I'll ask for a volunteer instead of choosing at random," the gym teacher says generously. A hand goes up quickly. I recognize it as the boy who had been bragging earlier that he was a black belt in kickboxing and that he didn't need any of this 'shitty little kid training'. I have to say, I'm quite interested in how this fight will fan out.

The boy gets up (I've learnt that his name is Nick) and stands opposite Alois, who has his eager grin on his face again. The coach announces, "Remember, light contact! Begin!"

Immediately Nick charges Alois like a bull and throws out a kick, but Alois smoothly steps to the side. Nick doesn't give up though, and keeps throwing kicks and punches at Alois, who dodges them easily. Alois still hasn't attacked yet, but is watching Nick with bemused eyes. Nick notices this and throws an extremely hard punch towards his face that would surely break his nose. Suddenly, Alois' stance changes and he moves to the side to dodge the punch while bringing his leg up for a solid angle kick to the stomach. Nick falls back, surprised at the sudden impact and Alois takes the chance to do a back kick. The wind knocked out of him, Nick falls to his knees, the match over for now.

The coach makes sure that Nick is okay, which he is, and they're both dismissed from the match. Alois walks back to a crowd of cheering students.

"That was amazing, Alois!"

"Yeah, it was over in two kicks!"

"You're _so_ good!" The girls gush. Of course, he takes it all in stride, speaking charismatically about how he has to be able to protect the beautiful ladies. How chivalrous of him.

"Alright, Caelum, you're up," the coach says. I had hoped that he might've forgotten about me, but that doesn't seem like the case. Grudgingly, I get up and walk over to face my opponent. His name is Steven, he has white blond hair and is about only an inch taller than me, thankfully.

"Go Ciel!" I hear Alois cheering for me.

The match is pretty even. I mostly play defense while he brings on attacks. Sometimes I get a decent hit in, but I'm not really into fighting. The kids moves to my right rapidly and throws a kick. At my face. Unfortunately, wearing an eye patch doesn't just hide my eye, it also gives me a nice blind spot in my peripheral vision so I didn't see the kick coming until it was too late.

I let out a hiss and bring my hand up reflexively to my face that hurts slightly. The kid doesn't even slow down in his attack though, since that was technically a legal kick. Getting annoyed, I decide to actually start kicking back. I get a good side kick in and while he's backing up from the attack I follow it up with the spin hook kick I learnt today. Not having too much control of the kick, there wasn't much power and I ended up hitting his nose. The kid lets out a cry of pain and I stop. Blood's starting to cool out of his nose. Oops. But he did sort of deserve it after he hit me in the face and it's not like it's broken, I try to justify.

"Alright, the match is over! Class dismissed," the coach shouts and goes over to help Steven.

I start to leave and sense Alois coming over to join me.

"That was great, Ciel! If you had lent in a little farther, you definitely would have broken his nose," Alois congratulates me.

"Alois, there's seriously something wrong with you," I say. Only he would be that excited to break someone's nose.

Alois pouts. "Hey, you're the one who went all crazy after he hit you in the face."

"I did not go crazy!" I argue. "I just decided to fight back."

"I'm sure," Alois says sarcastically. "That's what you'll say when your locked up in a psych ward for murdering someone who called you short."

"The only one I'd murder is you, you annoying cross dresser," I mumble under my breath.

Alois shoves me while saying "I heard that!" and I roll my eyes.

* * *

><p>The sun's shining brightly today and it's rather warm for autumn weather. I take off my dark hoodie, which seems to attract too much heat at the moment, and let out a relieved sigh at the cool breeze against my skin. It's so relaxing not having Alois, Mare, or anybody else around. I'm walking home alone today since Mare was 'chillin' with his friends, but I'm not the least bit bothered by it; it gives me time to reflect.<p>

Luckily, the kick I received to the face today did not leave a bruise. I also heard that Steven was okay as well, which is good I suppose.

On a more serious note, I'm still interested in what my parents seem to have been talking about this morning. _"… worried that he might find out something…"_ What could she have meant by that? In all honesty, it could be anything. Many ideas float through my head, including the thought everyone has: what if I'm dying from some strange disease? However, I dismiss that thought since I don't have any strange symptoms and it'd be a very rash and illogical conclusion. That said, they did mention my art work… Is it possible they know something?

I almost freeze, my eyes widening. Could it be they've known all along whom I've been painting? It's definitely a reasonable thought, one that I might have to explore later.

I eye the two vehicles in my driveway wearily as I pass by to the front door. That's strange, since father and mother are usually still working by time I get home. Pushing open the door, I make my way to the stairs to go to my room.

"Caelum, could you come to the front room for a moment?" I hear my mother's voice call out.

I pause on my way up the stairs. "Alright, just give me a moment to put my bag in my room." I hear her say 'okay' and drop my bag off in my room. As I'm leaving, I pause as I see my reflection and push my hair out of my one visible eye. Satisfied, I go down to see what mother could want.

Upon entering the living room, I see Lucis and Jackson sitting on a couch together. Uneasily, I sit down on the couch parallel to theirs as my mother motions. The air is awkward and I feel very uncomfortable at the moment, perturbed by the way they keep looking at each other and not me.

"So… How was school, honey?" My mother tries to start off a conversation.

"Decent. I scored a hundred on my French test, got kicked in the face and gave the kid a bloody nose," I state with no emotion while noticing my father's eyebrow twitch.

"Oh no! Are you alright?" Lucis asks, worry in her voice.

I wave her off. "I'm fine." Then I stare her right in the eyes. "Now, tell me what it is you have to say before father has a nervous breakdown." My father was fidgeting quite a bit and I have to say, I'm quite curious to see what he's so nervous about.

"Well, you see, honey," she starts off slowly before my father interrupts her.

"We're not your real parents," he breaks in and looks relieved to have finally said it.

I'm shocked, to say the least.

"_Jackson!"_ Lucis shouts. I suppose she wanted to say it a little easier. "Caelum, I'm sorry―"

"Don't be," I state calmly, getting over my initial reaction. "This way it keeps it straight to the point. One thing, though: why the _fuck_ didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Language!" Lucis gasps, stunned.

"I've got every right to be pissed," I snap. "I can't believe you've never told me this!"

"You were too young," Jackson explains.

Something ticks inside me. "Oh, I see. Cooking the meals that you didn't provide us, studying every night for my classes to receive scholarships and getting summer jobs to save up for university definitely sounds like the definition of immature to me," I say sarcastically.

"We thought you'd hate us," Lucis ads quickly.

"Why? Because we're not related by blood? That's a stupid reason to hate someone," I say. "Speaking of blood, who are my real parents then?"

Lucis looks down. "…We don't know. We found you on the door step with no note or anything."

"I see." I look away, out the window at the brightly shining sun. I feel like ripping it away and stomping it into the ground so that the world is covered in darkness. After a moment, I speak. "Well, this has been a pleasant conversation, but I think I'm going to retire to my room."

I start to leave.

"Caelum…" Jackson calls out.

"My name is Ciel," I say without looking back and go to my room.

I don't know how I feel about this. One part of me feels enraged and saddened, but then again, I feel rather calm and accepting of the situation.

Lying down on my bed, I try to figure out my emotions on the situation. I suppose I've always felt a little detached from my family. They've always acted differently around Mare than me; they must feel much closer to him. That would also explain why I don't resemble them much… I wonder why my original parents left me. Maybe I was an accident, or perhaps too much of a nuisance so they abandoned me on a random doorstep.

I've never felt this alone. Even after all the children avoided me and told me how much they disliked me, it was okay because I knew I always belonged at home. Apparently, I didn't even belong there, nor with my real parents who deserted me. Where do I belong then?

My eye catches a conveniently placed canvas beside my bedside table. I stretch over lazily and grab it. _This_, this was where I belonged. On the canvas shows a group of five people. The only lady there, who has purply red hair and is wearing a maid uniform, is smiling cheerfully. Beside her is a blond man, smoking much to my dismay, is dressed in a chef's uniform and seems to be saluting me. Then there's a younger boy who's waving enthusiastically, smiling so exuberantly it could light up the entire night. Slightly to the right of the trio is an older man with an aged but merry face, holding a cup of tea. Lastly, and standing closer than the others, is the man dressed in black. He has an all knowing smirk on his face, his hand held up to his heart in a salute. They're all standing in front of a giant, grey mansion.

"Unfortunately for me, they all died two hundred years ago," I laugh humorlessly, staring at the people who seemed all too eager to see me. It's just my luck that the people who actually appreciated my existence are all dead now.

* * *

><p>"<em>CIEL~!" A blonde girl came running into the mansion and promptly grabbed me. Then, to my horror, she started spinning me around and around and around… I'd never been so dizzy in my life!<em>

"_Elizabeth__―__" I started once the girl had set me down and the world stopped spinning._

"_It's 'Lizzie', Ciel," the girl scolded playfully. _

"_Hello Miss Elizabeth. And what do we owe the pleasure of having you visit us today?" Sebastian asked while bowing graciously in front of the noble girl. _

"_Oh! Hi Sebastian!" Lizzie exclaied excitedly. "I've come to discuss the wedding plans with Ciel~!"_

_I froze, my eyes widening slightly. "Lizzie, isn't it a bit early to be discussing these things?" I tried to convince her. _

"_Oh nonsense! We have to start planning ahead if we want it to be perfect, right Sebastian?" Lizzie said, pleading with her eyes for Sebastian to help her in this argument._

"_Actually Miss Elizabeth, Bo-chan has quite a bit of work to do, so you might have to delay making plans for another day," Sebastian informed the girl acting regretful, though I can tell he was enjoying the depressed face she took on. _The sadist_, I though while shaking my head. _

"_I'm sorry, Lizzie. Maybe next time, okay?" I said, trying to make her happy because I absolutely despised it when she cried. _

"_But you always work, Ciel!" Lizzie cried out, upset. "If you keep postponing it, it'll _never_ get done!"_

_I sighed. "Fine. I _promise_ that next time we can start deciding on things for the wedding."_

_That was the last time I saw my smiling blonde cousin. _

* * *

><p>I awake (when did I fall asleep?) to a tapping at my window. Rubbing my eyes, I sit up and stare blankly at my window. Sitting on the tree branch outside is Alois, who's waving excitedly from his position, mouthing the words 'let me in~!' I stare at him some more before going to shut my blinds. Regrettably, that only makes him knock harder and louder so I'm forced to open my window.<p>

"What do you want?" I deadpan, still a little tired.

Instead of answering, he just jumps through the window and tackles me onto the bed. "Ciel~!" I shove him off of me and he rolls onto the floor, much to my amusement. "Ouch!"

"Why are you here, Alois? And what time is it?" I ask as Alois gets off of my floor.

"It's eight. And I was bored, so I decided to come visit my bestest friend! Aren't I a nice person?"

"And you had to come through the window _why_?"

"That stupid curfew." Alois frowns, looking _very_ annoyed. "It's a good thing my grandparents have Alzheimer's and trust me too much. Hell, I told them I was going to the zoo." A pause. Then Alois' eyes go wide. "Hey, Ciel, do you want to go to the zoo? I want to see the flamingoes!" he exclaims excitedly.

"Alois, I'm really not in the mood for doing anything right now," I snap.

Alois' eyes lose their eager look and he observes me for a moment. "What happened?" he asks, serious for once.

I avoid his eyes. "Nothing really," I say, while lying down again.

Alois forces me to look at him, tilting my face as he leans over me. "It's not nothing. Something's troubling you. Tell me," he persuades, pushing off my eye patch to stare me in the eyes.

"Lucis and Jackson aren't my real parents, apparently. They just found me on their doorstep," I tell him quietly.

Alois' eyes soften and he lies down beside me, trailing a finger over the side of my face. "Are you sad?"

"…No." I look at him. "Just a little tired..."

"Then sleep. I'll watch over you," he comforts.

I close my eyes, but can't help the small smirk that crosses my face. "That's sort of a creepy thought."

* * *

><p><em>It's dark out inside this alley, not to mention quiet. I've seen this place; it's close to my house. A newspaper blows around in the wind, the date of today displayed on the top. The ground's covered in stains of God knows what and there's trash littering the walkway. <em>

_In the middle of the alley, green faded eyes stare into open space. Black, wavy locks of hair are matted down by the crimson red fluid that covers the face. The boy's mouth is open in a silent scream of terror, or perhaps agony. _

_I hear a demonic laugh in the background and my heart freezes._

"Mare!_"_

* * *

><p>I jump up in bed, panting. The boy lying dead in the alley was my <em>brother<em>. Even if we aren't technically related I'm not going to let the murderer get _him_.

Beside me I notice Alois spread out across the bed in a deep sleep. Good, I don't want to worry him. Hurriedly, I throw on a black hoodie and some converse shoes from my closet. Then, opening my window again, I climb out carefully onto the branches and scale my way down the tree. Not carrying what an idiotic idea this might be, I start sprinting towards the alley I saw in my dream.

I don't know what time he was killed at so I can only hope I make it there in time before he goes into that alley. The run's about two kilometers and I'm getting angry at myself for not building up my stamina. Nevertheless, I continue pushing past my exhaustion and keep racing at top speed.

Almost there, I stop to take a few deep breaths. Damn it, why the hell is that idiot out this late anyway, and in an alley for that matter? I glance around and find a large metal pole lying in between the buildings. Picking it up, I walk quickly but carefully over to where the alley is.

My heart speeds up as I hear a boy yelp from surprise, then pain from inside the passageway. I turn the corner of it and see the form of a tall man standing with his back to me and my brother lying weakly on the path.

I let out a shout as I bring the heavy metal pole on top of the man's head. "Mare! Get the hell out of here!" I yell at my brother as the man stumbles to the side in shock of being hit.

Mare blinks and staggers up, his eyes unfocused. "Who…?" There's blood cooling down the side of his face, so I infer that he's hit his head on something hard, most likely the wall.

"Just run!" I shout and he finally seems to understand my words. Mare runs shakily past me out of the alley. I'm about to follow him when I hear a chuckle from behind me.

"I must admit, you surprised me, boy," the man says. He has dirty blond hair that goes a little past his ears. Dark brown eyes stare at me… _hungrily?_ I needed to get out of here. "It's quite admirable that you'd sacrifice yourself for the other kid, but that's all it was: a sacrifice." He smirks.

I try to run but he's terribly quick and hits me easily to the ground. Letting out a gasp, I use the pole to help me get up again, glaring at the figure harshly. I pant, still tired from the run and hurt from hitting the solid concrete with such force.

"Oh? You have much more determination than that other weak boy who was just going to give in to me. It's quite surprising for one as young as you: thirteen, maybe?" The man says with a delighted smile, his mouth opening to reveal sharp teeth. My eyes widen; what the hell was I up against? "Unfortunately, I'll have to finish you up quickly if I want to catch up to the other boy before he says anything. With that head injury, he's not going far though."

With that said, he rushes forward almost to fast for me to see and shoves his hand through my chest. I cough and blood sprays past my lips.

/"…he's not going far though." I know what he's going to do. He's going to rush straight ahead at try to stab me with his hand, just like I saw. Acting quickly, as he moves forwards, I move to the side and stick out the metal pole I'm holding. The man impales himself on it and looks stunned at his wound. "How…?"

Much to my horror, though, the guy just takes out the pole and throws it to the side, looking curious more than anything. It seems that I've only delayed my death instead of saving myself. So much for that helpful vision, at least I would've had a quick death that way.

The man comes over and shoves me roughly against the brick wall, holding me by my neck. "You're quite interesting. The way you dodged my attack, it must've been luck of some sort. However, it won't be happening again. Tell me, what's your name, mortal?"

"Fuck off," I spit at him. His eyes harden and he back hands me. I hold back my cry at the sharp impact of his knuckles. Then, my captor's eyes get that inquisitive look again.

He tries to get a look at my right eye, which I hadn't covered with my usual eye patch in the rush. "What a strange eye. Maybe I'll get rid of it first," he says as he brings his finger close to the orb. Once the digit gets close enough, I bite it harshly. The man lets out an angered noise and smashes my head against the wall while digging his fingers into my throat harder. Everything's going dizzy and it's hard to think much.

"_Sebastian!"_ I hear my panic laced voice cry out in pure instinct.

The man laughs. "Crying out for help won't do you any good, boy," he taunts. I didn't even mean to call out his name; it was just a reaction to the situation. How the hell was my painting supposed to help anyway? I must've received a concussion or brain damage from hitting my head on the wall…

I try to stare defiantly at the man, but I know my eyes must be filled with terror. Suddenly, shadows start moving all around us and create a black form behind my attacker. The man freezes, probably sensing something behind him. I stare in wonder as the shadows part to reveal a man with black hair, black clothes and burning red eyes. He's stands at least a foot over me and is wearing an open mouthed smirk.

"I've found you, Calculie," the man says sinisterly. "He's not very happy with you, you know. All these troublesome killings are bothering Him and the Shinigami are starting to interfere."

"Michealis," Calculie hisses, seemingly haven forgotten about me as he turns to face 'Michealis'. "Don't think you can stop me, Michealis. I don't care what He thinks. If I have to, I'll rip you to shreds."

Michealis sighs and shakes his head. "What an insult, thinking that you could actually defeat me."

"I'll show you!" Calculie lets out a roar and throws a punch at the black haired man's face. However, Michealis catches his hand with one of his owns and glared at the boy, crushing the blond's fist easily. Calculie howls out in pain.

"Honestly, why do I have to deal with such nuisances?" Michealis says, bored. "I'll let the others deal with you. Goodbye, Calculie."

As he says this, more shadows flicker around him and swallows the other, who shouts out in horror. "No! You can't―" and the voice is gone.

The man wipes off his hand on his pants, as if disgusted he had to touch the man, even though he's wearing gloves.

I decide it's about time to make my presence known, although I'm starting to wonder if it's a good idea. That said, it's be the worst mistake I'd ever made, letting this man go without getting any answers. After all, how the _hell_ is it possible that he still exists after two hundred years?

"Sebastian Michealis," I say clearly, staring up at the man with hard eyes.

Sebastian literally freezes all motion. Slowly, he turns his red eyes towards me. "Bo…chan?" the man from my nightmares whispers in shock.

* * *

><p><strong>So how was it? Feel free to leave me a review telling me how I can improve my writing or if you enjoy the story or not! ^^ I love hearing your guys' thoughts and opinions and they really influence my writing! Next chapter will be Sebastian centric and we'll get to see what he's been up to for these past 120 or so years! I hope you've enjoyed my story so far :)<strong>


	4. Hell, Meeting of a Knight and a King

**Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't updated sooner; my computer had a virus! D; Anyway, I hope you enoy this chapter as well. Unfortunately, there's not much Ciel in this chapter because it's mostly all about Sebastian and what he's been up too. And there's no Alois whatsoever ); Next chapter, though, will continue off of where we left off in Ch 3. I've tried to update quickly, especially with the death threat I recieved O.o Hopefully this pleases you, "Lex Luther", because I do not wish for any harm to come to me _or_ Superman! Thanks for the reviews! They make my day :) Oh, one more thing. I've been wondering if I should change the rating to M for some of the more violent scenes. I've already cut out most of the detail! -_-; but if its _still_ too gorey or whatnot, please tell me :)**

**Warnings*Mature language, sexual scenes (but no lemons, srry ^^;), Yaoi, a couple OCs :( , gore**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji**

* * *

><p><em>~3<em>_rd__ Person POV~_

He could still remember holding his Bo-chan in his arms the moment he died; that would be a memory that would haunt him forever. The rage Sebastian had felt that night had been incontrollable and he had ended up slaughtering the other demon that had been the cause. Unfortunately, killing demons of higher ranking than yourself was a crime, so Sebastian had been ultimately punished.

It'd been his own father who had came, feeling the enraged aura of his son in the realms of Hell, and put a stop to Sebastian. He had come charging in with a group of other demons and they had forcibly taken him away from the corps of Ciel Phantomhive to be tried by the jury.

"_Michealis Umbra Corvus," the judge announced. "It has been decided by the jury that you shall be put to death for the crime of murdering another of your kin with higher ranking than thou own. The pronouncement shall be passed by Satan himself, as per usual, and you will be locked away in the dungeons until the verdict is agreed upon by our King."_

It had been expected really, that Sebastian would be executed. The hierarchy was _extremely_ important in the kingdom of Hell and any crimes committed against higher ranking demons were always punishable by death. However, Sebastian was a prideful demon, and even though he was walking to his imprisonment, he stood tall with his head raised high. That didn't stop him from glaring at his father though, who had been the ultimate cause of this. If only he hadn't been caught he would have surely ripped him to shreds as well… Who condemns their own child to death?

It wasn't that all the lower ranking demons respected the higher ranked ones, but that usually the higher ranking they were, the more powerful. Higher ranking equaled richer blood lineage, which in turn meant stronger demons. That's why cases of attacks against demon 'royalty' were _very_ rare, since they usually stood no chance against them.

That said, Sebastian wasn't just any demon. No, he was a _shadow_ _demon_. Shadow demons were among the rarest and most powerful that came within the species. They had the ability to manipulate the dark matter all they wanted; they could bend _shadows_ to their will. Since there's always shadows everywhere, their power was accessible anywhere, where as a water demon would only be their strongest near a lake or ocean.

Since Sebastian was quite high ranked anyway _and_ a shadow wielder, not many could stand against him, even though he was quite young in demon standards.

Sebastian had been chained up to the cold cavern walls and tortured by family members and friends of the murdered demon. Usually, Sebastian was very good at keeping his cool while being tortured, but being tortured by demons instead of humans was a whole other level of pain. In point form: it had hurt like a bitch.

A day after he had been chained up, a messenger had come to inform him of his verdict.

"_Final verdict of Michealis Umbra Corvus has been undecided. As per Satan's wishes, thou shall be imprisoned here for one century until He has come to a suitable decision," the messenger informed him, looking very bitter of not being able to kill the demon. Instead, he walked forward and kicked Sebastian's knees back so that they broke. Sebastian let out a hiss at the other demon and struggled uselessly against his restraints, wanting to so badly decapitate this man. _

It had been apparent that many wanted to rid themselves of the demon, but most were okay to be able to torture him for one hundred years before their king decided to execute him. To Sebastian, those years seemed to drag on. He'd be tortured, and then he'd heal, just to be hurt once again. It got very tiresome very soon that he would be almost glad to be executed just to relieve his boredom. Not to mention he was starving since he never even got to devour his Bo-chan's delectable soul.

That was one thing he regretted the most. After all those years of work for the young Earl, he never even got his prize! Sebastian probably would've consumed his soul but had to take care of the other demon first. By time their battle had finished, Ciel Phantomhive's soul had already departed somewhere unknown.

Exactly one hundred miserable years after his imprisonment, Sebastian's father came to release Sebastian from his binds. "Hello Michealis. Did you have a pleasant time down here?" Tavarius Terra Corvus asked with a sinister smirk.

Sebastian whished he could spit in his face, but that would've got him no where. Instead, he puts on his own mocking smirk. "Indeed, _Father._ I was rather surprised that you never came to observe my torture though. It is, after all, your fault I'm even here. I would've thought you'd want to observe my _misfortunate _fate."

Tavarius frowned. "It's not my fault that you murdered a noble, Michealis. Your pain does not please me." Sebastian rolls his eyes. "It's that boy's fault, Ciel Phantomhive. Because of him, you did ridiculous things, like killing that angel! He had to be taken care of―"

"Do not speak his name," Sebastian snapped, his eyes glowing dangerously as shadows began to move around him.

"Calm down, Michealis," Tavarius said as he pulled the chains, much like handcuffs, and Sebastian along the corridors. "You don't want to make a fool of yourself today. You'll be lucky if they let you live; almost everyone has voted that they want you dead."

"I'm well aware of that, Father."

Tavarius shook his head. "Rules are rules. You should've known to abide by them. There's no one to blame but yourself, Michealis. I'm so disappointed in you, throwing your immortal life away over some kid's soul."

Sebastian didn't answer to that. It was true that no one was worth throwing away his life for, but it was his _Bo-chan_. They didn't understand just how delicious that boy's soul would've been. Ciel had been like none other and he had belonged completely to Sebastian; until that bastard took him away!

They entered the enormous throne room, spectators lined on the sides. Running up the middle of the floor was a blood red carpet that led to a black marble throne at the back of the room. Along the sides were demons from the jury, many nobles and the family of the deceased shouting angrily at him. A small smirk crossed Sebastian's face; it seemed like everyone hated him and he found it really quite amusing. Let them hate him, it wouldn't matter soon anyways. Plus, if the death of that other demon had really bothered them that much, he'd die infamously!

After his father had released him from his binds, Sebastian had changed to his original form, which seemed even more beautiful than his human form. He was dressed in tight fitting leather pants that were covered by his pointed high heels that went up to his calves. A leather sleeveless jacket adorned his torso and was left open to show off his perfect muscles. Once again black were the arm covers that reached up to his biceps. The two most stunning features though, were the beautiful black designs that started from the outside of his right eye and trailed down to a stop at the base of his neck. The other was the huge black wings that everyone from the 'Corvus' clan inherited. He truly was breath taking, even for demon standards.

Tavarius released his grip on the chains and Sebastian walked up to rest of the path himself before kneeling humbly in front of Lucifer. "My King," he stated as he kneeled.

"Michealis Umbra Corvus," Lucifer smiled beautifully. "You may rise."

"Yes, my Lord." Sebastian nodded before rising before the ruler of the Underworld. Satan was also a figure of beauty and was deceivingly so. His soft face, gold eyes and long silky blonde hair didn't fit Hell's ruler and many had fallen for his false charm.

"Everyone here is well aware of the crimes you have committed, so there is no need to for another explanation. You know that it is punishable by death, Michealis, what you did?" Lucifer asked.

"Yes, I am aware of that, my King," Sebastian says calmly, "and I have accepted my fate."

"I see," Lucifer murmurs as he stepped down from his thrown, grabbing a long black sword from his sheath. Sebastian recognized it as a demon sword. It was beautifully crafted, rubies covering the hilt. He almost felt honored to be killed by such a magnificent weapon.

Lucifer took steady and even steps down the stairs and over to where Sebastian stood. "Kneel," he commanded and Sebastian immediately did as told. He knelt patiently as Lucifer placed the sword against his neck, waiting for the killer blow.

For a moment, nothing happened and anticipation filled the room, everyone eager for the beheading. Then, quick as a lighting bolt, Lucifer drew the sword across his neck. "There. Punishment over."

Sebastian, who had closed his eyes while waiting for death, opened his them in astonishment, surprised that he could even open his eyes. He couldn't see it, but he felt a thin, shallow cut on the left side of his throat, a small amount of blood trailing down from it. "What…?"

Lucifer knelt down and cupped Sebastian's cheek, amused at the younger demon's bewilderment. "You may not know since you've been locked away for the past hundred years, but a war's started. The angels have rebelled against our attacks and are becoming more powerful each passing moment. Eventually, there may be a great battle or attack against our kind and we need to be prepared. Therefore, killing you would be a great waste, my dear. With your tremendous power, you could be a great asset to me," Lucifer explained.

"Then…you're sparring his life?" the judge asked in horror, Tavarius standing with him.

"That's not―" Tavarius started but the Devil cut him off.

"Art thou going against my desires, thy _ignorance_! Need I remind thee that I am thy ruler, Satan?" Satan growled at them, his eyes going a deep red in his anger.

"My greatest apologies, my King," they both said at the same time, bowing.

Satan glared at them for a moment longer before his eyes returned to their normal golden and he regarded Sebastian once again. "As I was saying, you have great use for me, Michealis. For that reason, I wish for you to become my Knight and serve me for the battles to come."

To say Sebastian was shocked would be the understatement of the century. Hell, some could say he was even flabbergasted. Sebastian had thought he'd come here to be executed. Never had he once thought that he'd be given such an honorable title and position in the monarchy!

Once he had regained most of his wits, Sebastian spoke. "I would be honored, my King."

Looking satisfied, Lucifer said, "That is a wise choice." He then got up from his position on the ground and started to walk down the path and out of the throne room. "Come, Michealis, we have much to discuss."

"Yes, my King," Sebastian bowed and started following after the ruler of Hell. There was a smirk on his face and it only widened as he noticed his father's resentful look.

* * *

><p>The war between the Demons and the Angels had started roughly one hundred and twenty years ago. Of course, there'd always been a rivalry between the two clans, but never before had they actually declared full out attacks against each other. Interestingly enough, that'd also been around the time when he'd killed AshAngela.

Sebastian sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. That boy had sure got him into quite a bit of trouble. Honestly! He had not only been imprisoned and tortured for a century, but he'd also been a contributing factor to the start of this war. Not that Sebastian was complaining; slaughtering angels was a lot more fun than wandering around aimlessly searching for another soul to contract when he knew that nothing would live up to his previous contract.

Being Satan's Knight certainly had its bonuses. Suddenly, Sebastian was a very respected and feared demon (well, more than he already had been). He'd been granted his very own luxurious domain, much more impressive than Ciel Phantomhive's mansion had been. Plus, he was also granted as many souls as he wanted to feed his demonic cravings, though they were never truly satisfying.

Sebastian raised his blood covered finger to his mouth and licked it experimentally before his face scrunched up and he spat it out. It was absolutely disgusting, this human's blood. It was all bitter and he could tell that this man was― pardon, _had_ been a very greedy man. Souls of darkness did not appeal to the demon at all. These souls were so corrupt it was like eating rotten limes, and that was definitely not very appetizing, so Sebastian casually chucked the head away from him. It rolled over near the corpse and Sebastian was satisfied with the look of complete terror on the dismembered body part.

Then, the demon turned and sauntered over to the other form lying in the pool of blood. His eyes glowed a deep red as he sauntered over to the almost dead angel. He supposed the angel could have once been called beautiful but Sebastian had decided to take it upon himself to '_distort'_ its lovely features a little. Sebastian certainly thought she looked better like this, with her face all cut up and her white gowns drenched in scarlet, but there was one more thing he wanted to do before he left.

"Now, tell me," Sebastian purred as he gripped the angel's blonde hair, pulling her head up towards his own. "Who was it that has been leaking information to you?"

The angel narrowed her eyes and spat at his face.

Sebastian's lips twitched, as if he was about to snarl. "You'll wish you hadn't done that." Sebastian dug his clawed fingers into skin where the angel's wing connected to her smaller frame. "I'll ask you again: _who has been giving you this information?"_

A streak of fear passed through the angel's eyes but it was quickly hidden with a look of determination. "I'd rather die than tell such a foul creature!"

"Oh, you'll wish for it in a moment, I assure you," Sebastian said dangerously, a smirk passing over his lips. Then, with no effort at all, he ripped the wing off. Blood sprayed out over the two supernatural beings and stained the pure white wings even more. A blood curdling scream escaped the angel and she collapsed, all of her energy gone. Tears filled her eyes as she realized she would not make it out of here alive. Seeing as she was still not speaking, Sebastian dug his hand into the fresh wound, basking in her pain.

"A―alright!" She shrieked. "I'll tell you what I know! Please…" the angel whispered at the end with a hoarse voice.

"Good." Sebastian rolled her over with a kick but the woman only let out a whimper in reply. The demon lent down and cradled the angel's disfigured face between his hands, his face giving off the aura of safety, though the angel knew it was completely false. "It's alright, my dear. You have nothing to fear, as long as you give me what I want."

"How cruel. Such a beautiful face is not deserving of a disgusting creature like you," she whispered, forcing herself to stare into the man's eyes and remember that he was indeed a demon, that we would never _actually_ comfort her. "I don't know which of you was leaking information," she noticed Sebastian's eye's narrow and continued hurriedly, "but I have something else which might be of use to you!"

"…Continue," Sebastian murmured, restraining himself from just disposing of the filthy creature. He _despised_ angels very much, especially after that confrontation with Ash.

"That man lying over there," the angel pointed to the decapitated body, "was the one who reported the information to me from the demon. Unfortunately, in your fit of uncontrollable demonic lust for souls, you removed his head, so you'll never know who the spy was. However, are you aware of 'The Prophecy of Retribution, demon?"

"I believe so," Sebastian said with tight eyes, annoyed that she thought he went on a 'rampage'.

"Of the soul who will be the downfall of your kind, of _Hell_?" Sebastian nodded his head and she continued. "It is rumored that the Elders have felt that very soul returning to the mortal realm at this very moment and the angels will stop at nothing to have it protected. Unfortunately, we are unaware of just which soul it is and many of our kind have come to Earth to survey each of the recent reincarnated souls." The angel started to laugh, crazed. "The end is near, demon! We _will_ find this soul, and when we do, there is nothing you can do to stop us!

Sebastian had had quite enough of this lady and he proceeded to step away from her. The sadistic smirk appeared on his lips again. "Unfortunately, my dear, I said that you had nothing to fear as long as you gave me what I was looking for. That little tidbit of information was interesting, indeed, but I was looking for the demon who has betrayed its own kin. Goodbye, my dear. _May God have mercy on your soul,_" he mocked before black flames flickered around the body. The shadowy fire ate away painstakingly at her flesh before it eventually left nothing but a pile of ash. The demon let out a pleased sigh; the cries of angels never seemed to disappoint him.

What the woman had said, however, _did_ displease him somewhat. The Prophecy of Retribution was a legend said that one day, a powerful soul would be reincarnated to seek retribution against the demons. This human would be the only weapon that Heaven would be able to utilize for the downfall of Hell and all of its inhabitants. Since the rebel led by Lucifer, the Elder angels have been waiting for the soul that would be able to put an end to the demon. Thus, Sebastian could understand why there were so many angels in the human realm at the moment. They must've sensed this was coming for a while though, since the fight had started _many_ years ago. As the Knight of Satan, Sebastian supposed he should probably inform Satan of this.

On his way back to Satan's palace, Sebastian ran into the one person he didn't want to see― ever.

"_Michealis,_" the woman purred and saucily walked up to the other demon, who frowned at the woman.

"Raisa," Sebastian noted calmly. "What is it? I have more important matters to attend to."

"More important than _me?_ Your _fiancé_?" Raisa questioned with a raised eyebrow, walking even closer to Sebastian.

Sebastian let out an annoyed noise. "How many times must I tell you until you realize that I'm not going to marry you? I do _not_ wish to be bound to your presence for eternity," the demon snapped.

Raisa let out a laugh that rang like little bells. "Well you don't have much of a choice, do you, Michealis? It has already been arranged by your father."

"Like I give a damn what that man thinks―" Sebastian started.

"You have already avoided it too long," Raisa warned him. "The Corvus' need another heir, especially with the war getting as dangerous as it is. So many have died already and we are losing forces!" Raisa drug her finger down his chest. "Why won't you just sleep with me? It's not like we haven't―"

Sebastian rolled his eyes and cut the whore― pardon, Raisa off. "_We're demons; _it's in our nature to be overcome by lust. You were just another fuck like everyone else. Now _go away,_" he hissed the last part. Why the hell did this woman think it was alright to bother him? Sebastian had made it perfectly clear over the years that he wanted nothing to do with her.

Raisa placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Fine. But it's going to happen sooner or later, you must realize. Our clans have wanted to join together for many years and this is the perfect time to do it. With our forces weakened by the war, our two clans would create a commendable force."

Sebastian stared at her retreating form with anger. He didn't care what his or her family wanted; he wasn't going to be tied up to that despicable woman for the remainder of eternity.

Marriage between demons wasn't necessarily popular or mandatory. That said, it tended to happen a lot to noble families to strengthen clans and bring the powerful demons together. This lead to much stronger spawn and kept the blood 'pure'. To be a noble in the demon hierarchy meant that you'd been descended from the original demons― the fallen angels.

Raisa Ignis Aquila was also from a noble family and had large wings as well, though hers were a beautiful golden brown like her normal eye color. As most demons did, she dressed provocatively in a short red dress that frilled out at the end. The low cut portion of her dress showed off the shocking amount of cleavage she had and it was trimmed with black lace. Raisa wore black fishnet stockings that were barely visible in her thigh high high heels. Her golden hair fell in wavy locks past her breasts but above her belly button. Sebastian knew that bellow her dress she had belts around the top of her thighs that carried deadly knives, which were her preferred weapons. Sometimes she'd wear other accessories to carry her knives around too, but that didn't seem like the case today. Raisa was beautiful, just like a deadly angel, but Sebastian couldn't care less.

Ever since Sebastian could remember, Raisa had always been after him. They had been born the same day so their parents had taken it as a sign that they were meant to be together. After all, it was a rare day indeed when two noble demons were born on the same day. He had enjoyed her company for a while, that is, until she became almost obsessive over him. Sebastian was a solitary demon by nature and being with another demon every moment of your life was not something he enjoyed. Then, when his parents told him that he _would_ have to be with her every moment of his life, he was thoroughly pissed. It was as if he didn't even have a choice in the matter, but they were wrong. At every given moment Sebastian tried to avoid Raisa, who had become even clingier over the years, and would ignore any conversation of marriage brought up by his parents.

It was at times like these that Sebastian would remember his Bo-chan's fiancé: Elizabeth Middleford. He'd always hated that little brat, most likely because she was a reminder of his own damn fiancé back in Hell. That, and she was ridiculously touchy with his Bo-chan. _His_ Bo-chan!

In a considerably worse mood, Sebastian continued his way to Lucifer's palace. It was a grand place, beautiful. It was made of a darker grey stone and had many turrets on the roof. Sebastian figured there must be thousands of rooms in there. Even though demons didn't require sleep there were many _other_ _things_ which could be done in them. Sebastian's high heels clicked against the stone steps as he made his way up to the front door casually. Eyeing the guards standing in front of the door, they immediately let him by. Sebastian found Lucifer wandering down one of his many hallways.

"My King." Sebastian bowed down to the ruler.

Lucifer paused and turned around with a smile. "Michealis. It is good to see you. Have you obtained the information?"

Sebastian stood up again and shook his head regretfully. "No, my King. The angel didn't know who it was that has been telling them our moves."

Lucifer frowned slightly. "Then why is it you have returned? Surely not just to tell me that."

"I have some rather worrisome news, my King. Although the angel did not know who has betrayed us, she told me that the Prophecy of Retribution has commenced. The one in the legend has finally been reincarnated."

Satan's eyes darkened and the usual gold had turned into a deep red much like Sebastian's own. "We will see about that. For now, I wish for you to continue on your search for the spy and while you're at it, find out more about the truth behind this prophecy."

"Yes, my King," Sebastian said dutifully as he bowed once more.

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><p>It had been easy enough to find Calculie. Sebastian had never been fond of the demon so he had no qualms about killing him. What possessed the demon to disobey Satan and start a killing spree in this town, Sebastian had no clue, but it wasn't his job to understand. Just to kill.<p>

They knew that there was an angel somewhere in this town so Lucifer had called some of his forces together and they were supposed to attack the angel and this town eight days from now. That said, Calculie had the marvelous idea to start killing the citizens of this town and putting everyone on guard. That damn angel must be suspicious by now and the demons would no longer have the element of surprise. Not only that, but it would be considerably harder to find whoever this angel was protecting if everyone was hiding in fear from this 'sociopath' running around their town. Lucifer was not going to be pleased, indeed.

Deciding that he should inform his King about this, Sebastian turned to leave.

"Sebastian Michealis." Two words uttered made the demon freeze all motion. He swore his heart even stopped (not that it really mattered that much). That strong voice which clearly belonged to a child made his eyes widen. It sounded so familiar…It couldn't be…

"Bo…chan?" Sebastian turned to face the boy, whom he had not even realized had been present this entire time, and his eyes were wide with shock. It couldn't be that this boy was still alive! He had seen him die in his own hands. Watched his eyes close for the last time as the blood pooled around him…

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><p>"<em>Sebastian, where are we?" the young Earl demanded, a hand on his hip. For once, Sebastian had nothing to say. "Sebastian!"<em>

_Sebastian eyes hardened and he approached his Bo-chan. "We are in Hell, Bo-chan."_

_Ciel's eyes widened slightly. It made sense he supposed: the pentacle that had surrounded them, the fire that had appeared but not burned, the worried look on Sebastian's face as he pulled him closer. One moment they had been in the garden of his mansion, the next here they were in what looked like a cave. The ground was a dull grey like the walls but the torches hung up gave them an orange tinge. There were large rocks in the corner of the room, and, Ciel thought with distaste, it seemed quite dusty._

"_Michealis, your father wishes your presence," the older demon spoke with a smirk. "In fact, he is not the only one who wishes to speak to you. We've heard of your little stunt with the angel Ash, Michealis."_

"_Makalo," Sebastian hissed, his eyes narrowing. "What does it matter that I have disposed of the angel? Others have killed their kind before. Besides, it was an order from my Bo-chan; I couldn't ignore it."_

_Makalo's eyes widened and his grin became even wider. "The thing is, my dear boy, that Ash was part of their High Council. Let us say that they aren't too pleased with us demons at the moment." His green eyes wandered over to Ciel. "Not only that, but it is time you returned anyhow. We have given you more than enough time to find a suitable meal and I see you have found one. I must admit, it does smell quite good."_

_Ciel's eyebrows ticked. "I'm not an 'it'! My name is Ciel Phantomhive and you would do well to remember it!" Ciel turned his one blue eye to his butler. "Sebastian, I tire of this drag scenery! I wish to return to the mansion _immediately_."_

_A tongue darted past Makalo's lips, and he stared hungrily at Ciel, his eyes turning demonic red. "Say, Michealis, would you mind sharing your meal? He looks so…delectable," the silver haired demon purred suggestively. _

_Sebastian growled possessively at his words and pulled Ciel against him, holding him away from the high ranking demon. Ciel looked up at Sebastian with surprised eyes, not used to seeing him like this. _

"_C'mon, just a taste," Makalo said persuasively and started walking closer. "You know you can't refuse me."_

"_Touch this boy and I will rip you limb from limb," Sebastian said, dangerously calm. His pupils had shrunk like cats and his eyes, too, were scarlet glowing orbs. _

_Makalo's eyes narrowed and he frowned. "Are you disobeying me, one whose rank far surpasses thy own?"_

"_You do not scare me, Makalo."_

"_I will make you pay for disrespecting a noble, Michealis. Then after I'm through with you, I will devour that delicious soul that you have raised so carefully while you are unable to do anything about it," Makalo promised. _

_Sebastian was about to respond, but Ciel broke out of his hold. _

"_I have had _quite enough_ of this!" the boy snapped. He started to undo his eye patch. "I am tired and I wish for tea. Sebastian," Ciel looked him directly in the eye, "this is an order: get rid of this annoyance!"_

_A smirk passed Sebastian's lips. "Yes, my Lord." He bowed before facing the other demon, Sebastian's face full of eagerness to rip him apart for uttering such words. _

_Ciel stared, waiting for someone to make the first move. Then, suddenly, they weren't there anymore but had moved all the way to the other side of the cave, fists flying at each other's face. Claws carved cuts into their bodies and they both hissed as their opponent got in good strikes. Ciel could hardly keep up, trying to watch the demons move at impossible speeds. Then, Sebastian got kicked in the stomach and flew forward to the ground. _

_As Sebastian was getting up Ciel noticed something. The other demon was pulling something out of his robes. "Sebastian! Watch out," Ciel shouted out to his butler, who moved to the side just in time to avoid his head becoming skewered on the sword. Rapidly, Sebastian countered by throwing the knives he kept in his pockets at Makalo, who dodged all except one. The silver haired demon ripped it out of his arm and threw it back at Sebastian, who dodged easily. The battle continued until Sebastian got in a good strike and Makalo was thrown into the cave wall and then collapsed onto the ground. _

_Ciel started towards Sebastian when said demon sensed something. "Bo-chan!" Sebastian rushed forward to grab his own cutlery that Makalo had thrown at his young master. Unfortunately, it was only a distraction, which Sebastian realized too late as a giant boulder was thrown at hit him alongside his head. Sebastian's body flew into the solid wall along with the rock, which broke upon impact. The demon butler lay on the ground, a worrying amount of blood pouring from his head and body. _

"_Sebastian," Ciel gasped out, worried for his butler. That was, after all, a _huge_ boulder which had just crushed him against the stone wall. Even being a demon, that must've hurt quite a bit. "Sebastian, get up, damn it!"_

_Makalo chuckled, seeing the defenseless boy and he raised his sword. Sebastian's eyes fluttered open and what he saw terrified him. Ciel was standing, completely vulnerable, a few meters in front of Makalo, who was raising his sword as if he intended to throw it through the boy's fragile body. His fears were confirmed as the other demon whipped the weapon at the boy. Faster than he'd ever ran before, Sebastian threw himself in front of Ciel before the sword. Sebastian was panting and he looked down at the sword that had gone straight through his abdomen. Then, he looked at Ciel who was standing in front of him. The sword's blade had gone straight through Sebastian and had pierced Ciel as well, who was looking shocked at the medal sticking in his chest. The boy reached a shaky hand towards the blade before gripping it and pulling it out. He fell to his knees, coughing up blood onto his hands and the ground. _

"_No…" Sebastian whispered in horror as the boy collapsed. He pulled the sword the rest of the way out of his own body before kneeling beside the Earl and pulling him into his arms. "Bo-chan…"_

"_Sebas…tian?" Ciel whispered with slight confusion, staring the demon in the eyes. He lifted a bloodstained hand and Sebastian clutched it, the mark of their contract visible on his left hand. "I…"_

_It looked as if he wanted to say more but his muscles weren't responding. "_Bo-chan!_" Sebastian shouted at the boy whose eyes seemed to lose their light and close. His hand became limp in Sebastian's, just like the rest of his body. _

_Sebastian was shaking in pure, uncontained rage. He gently set the body down on the ground and draped his jacket over him before slowly standing up. Lifting his head slowly, Sebastian turned to face Makalo, his eyes burning with loathe and a promise of pain. The flames in the torches flickered and whipped around as shadows started to dance around the demon. _

"_You…are going…to _die_!" Sebastian roared as he took a step closer with each of his words. Was it a flicker of fear that passed through the noble demon's eyes as Sebastian charged at him? Sebastian didn't know, nor did he care as he tore ruthlessly into the other demon. Without his Bo-chan around to scar for life, Sebastian literally ripped Makalo apart, painting the cave with his blood and innards. Makalo screamed as he tried to fight back but he'd never fought against such an enraged demon before and it wasn't long before there was nothing left of him but bits and pieces. _

_Sebastian smiled a terrible smile as his demonic side relished in the carnage he had just created with the body of the elder demon. That lasted for all of five seconds before he remembered his Bo-chan lying behind him. He removed the jacket he had draped upon Ciel so that he didn't get covered in the gore and cupped his cheek. Leaning down, Sebastian inhaled, trying to see if his soul was still present in the body. He was deeply saddened as he realized it had already departed; to where, he didn't know. After everything he had done, he wouldn't even be able to obtain the boy's soul, although Sebastian didn't feel like he deserved it anyway. He had let his young master die and had failed him. _

_Sebastian didn't quite understand the feeling that encased him. It was a terrible pain, though not a physical one (his wounds had already started to heal), like someone had just ripped a chunk out of him. He stared with distraught eyes at Ciel's face and brushed the blue grey hair out of his face. This feeling was completely alien to Sebastian, who was used to only feeling hatred, anger, lust and an undying hunger. He had to admit that he would miss having his Bo-chan around and Sebastian knew that he was much more attached to this young boy than he had ever been with anyone else._

"_Oh my…" Tavarius uttered, stunned. Then, he said with a dawning horror, "Michealis, _what have you done?_"_

_Tavarius rushed over to his son, who refused to look at him, focused only on the dead boy lying before him. He tried to pull Sebastian away but it was futile; he wasn't going to leave the corps of this child. "Michealis, we need to go! They won't be happy, but if we leave now maybe they'll spare you. Now let go of that damn child!"_

_Unfortunately, Tavarius made the mistake of touching Ciel. Sebastian growled protectively and back handed his father across the face. Tavarius was surprised for a moment before he narrowed his eyes and tried to forcibly remove Sebastian from Ciel. _

_Hearing the shouts of the demon, the guards Tavarius had brought along with him came in to help. Together, all of them managed to pull the furious demon away. Sebastian wasn't going easy, though, and was cursing, biting and kicking at them when he could. _

_As they reached the entrance to the cave, Sebastian reached out a clawed hand towards Ciel. "Bo-chan…" he whispered as he was tugged away. _

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><p>There was no way that this boy standing in front of him could be Ciel. And yet, he had known his name; the name he hadn't used in 122 years. The same grey blue hair, blue eyes and short stature… <em>There's only one way to make sure though, <em>Sebastian thought to himself as he took a step closer.

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><p><strong>So how was it? As always, reviews are loved and influence how the story will proceed as I take each of your feedback into consideration :) Tell me what you like, what you <em>don't<em> like, suggestions or even predictions! I just like to know your thoughts on my story ;) Btw, a certain red haired shinigami might be introduced real soon 3 **

**Also, have any of you read ch59 of Kuroshitsuji? UNDERTAKER WAS AMAZING! He wasn't really my fav character before but after those last two pages... **


	5. Answers, Avoided by Foresight and Cries

**Hello people! As always, thanks to those who reviewed; you guys rock! I enjoyed writing this chapter now that we're back to present time ^^ I hope you guys like it too! I think it's slightly shorter than my others so my apologies.**

**Warnings*Mature language, sexual scenes (but no lemons, srry ^^;), Yaoi, a couple OCs (sorry, I hate them too), gore**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji**

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><p>There's this feeling of recognition amongst me that threatens to take over. Somehow, I know this man. <em>Sebastian Michealis<em>… The name echoes around my head as I remember all the memories of him from my dreams. I notice that he's even dressed in the same suit as from my paintings; I wonder why? Wearing suits with tail coats isn't the average outfit nowadays, but then again, he appeared out of fricking shadows so normal doesn't really define him.

I tense as he takes a step towards me.

"Who are you?" I snap.

A look of confusion passes his face. "You just said―"

"Yes, I'm aware your name is Sebastian Michealis. But _who_ are you and why do I see you in my dreams? Better yet, _what _are you?" I ask but receive no answer. Sebastian goes to take another step. I warn him, "Stay back."

Unfortunately, I must not have been very intimidating to the man, who's at _least_ a foot taller than me, because when I blink he's now standing directly in front of me. Before I can even manage to do something, Sebastian has grabbed my chin and is tilting my face to the left. He leans in close and peers at my right eye.

"The same mark," I hear him mutter. Annoyed that he was invading my personal space, I slap his hand away and move to the left. Who the hell did this guy think he was? Sebastian's staring intently at me right now, seemingly contemplating something, and it's very unnerving,

"Fine. If you're not going to give me any answers, I'm leaving. I have better things to do than stand around in an alley with some creep," I say and give a half wave before leaving the alley.

"Bo-chan," I hear him call out and I freeze.

Even though I'm English I know that 'Bo-chan' means something like 'young master'. Not because I study Japanese, but because Alois forces me to sit through his many animes that he keeps.

I turn to look at Sebastian inquiringly. "I'm not your 'young master', Sebastian Michealis. I'm not your anything. I don't even know you!"

"Then tell me," Sebastian says as he starts to approach me. "How is it that you know that name? A name I haven't heard uttered in over a century, back when I used to serve as your butler."

I narrow my eyes at him and back away again. "Let's make a deal. I'll tell you how I know your name if you answer my questions."

A chuckle escapes the black haired mans lips. "That's hardly a fair deal, _my Lord_." I shout at him not to call me that but he ignores me and continues, "Though you always did like to play to your advantage. How about for every question you ask, I get to ask one of my own."

Glaring at the man, I reluctantly and cautiously shake my head. I wasn't sure this was such a great idea since I know really nothing about this man. That said, there's a part of me that trusts him, dangerously so. There's another unknown feeling lurking at the back of my mind, too, but I do not wish to dwell on it.

"Fine, we'll talk," I agree grudgingly, but happy that I might finally get some answers for my bothersome dreams.

Sebastian nods and steps out of the alley as well. My breath hitches. With the moon shining down and illuminating his body, I finally understand his beauty. Even though I've painted him many times, it's impossible to capture how stunning he truly is. The striking eyes, pale face, midnight black hair, smirking mouth… I gulp and try to think of something other than this being's perfection.

"If you would prefer, Bo-chan, let us go some place more agreeable to speak," Sebastian offers.

"Only if you stop calling me 'Bo-chan'. It's annoying," I retort.

"Then what would you like me to call you, my Lord?" Sebastian inquires with that irritating smirk.

I glare at him. Calling me 'his Lord' was definitely not better than 'Bo-chan'. "Ciel."

If anything, Sebastian's smirk grows even larger. "Alright, _Ciel_," the name practically rolls off his tongue and a shiver passes through me. The sooner I get my answers, the sooner I can leave and figure out these strange feelings I get around this stranger.

"There's a café up this street," I tell him and start walking towards it, allowing Sebastian to follow behind me.

We walk there in complete silence, both lost in our own thoughts. This seems so unreal. First, I have a vision of Mare being killed. Then, I go to save him and the murderer turns on me. After that, I unwillingly call out to the man from my paintings and he miraculously appears, from the literal darkness. And here I am now, walking with this man who surely isn't human, to a fricking _café _to chat. I could really use a cup of tea right now, or perhaps one of those daiquiris Alois made the other day…

Barely registering that we're already here, I push the door open while fantasizing about that delicious strawberry drink. _No_, I tell myself. _Alcohol is bad and you do stupid things when you're drunk_. Then again, it did taste really good…

We sit down at a table in the far corner, away from any prying ears, even though there's only two other customers in here. For once, I'm glad for the crappy music they play over the stereos that blocks out everyone's voices.

"All right, I get the first question," I state as soon as I sit down.

"I wouldn't expect any less," Sebastian says as he too takes a seat.

First thing first, I needed to know what I was dealing with. "What are you?"

Sebastian's eyes sparkle. "I'm just one _hell_ of a butler, Young Master."

I frown at him. "You avoided the question. I meant―"

"Ah ah ah," Sebastian waves his finger at me in a demeaning manor. "No cheating, Ciel. You already had your turn, I believe it is mine now."

"Good job, Sebastian," I say in a patronizing tone, as if talking to a slow child. "Considering we're taking turns, after I've gone, then it would indeed be your turn!"

Amusement flickers past his eyes. "How have you recognized me, Ciel?"

I stare at him for a moment before relenting. "I've had many dreams which feature you in them. Curiously, these dreams take place in the Victorian Era," I say suspiciously. Starting to ask my question, a chipper voice interrupts me.

"What may I get for you?" the pretty waitress asks, blushing as she stares at Sebastian. She was clearly taken by him.

"Nothing for me, miss," Sebastian said and gave her a seductive smile. "But I'd be _very_ grateful if you could get a large cup of Earl Grey tea for my young friend."

The woman spluttered out a yes and raced towards the kitchen, her face as red as a tomato.

I'm shocked. "How―"

"―did I know your favorite drink is Earl Grey? I know many things about you, Bo-chan," he says mysteriously. "After all, what would a butler be if he did not know something as simple as your favorite drink?"

"Would you please stop it with the master and butler thing?" I snap.

"No. My turn," Sebastian says happily and I glower at him. From now on, I would be extremely careful about what I say. "If you have had these _dreams_ about me, then how is it that you know nothing about me?"

"The dreams usually consist of short scenes― memories, I suppose. I do not know 'nothing' about you, but I do not know much. These memories have shown me strange and inexplicable things that have left me rather confused." I take a small break as my tea is delivered. "Now, you are surely not human after what I've witnessed. So,_ what are you?_"

Sebastian did a quick take to make sure no one was watching us before he turned back to me with a sinister grin. "I am a demon, Ciel. Though, you are already aware of that."

"If I was aware of it I would not have asked the question!" Though I know there's some truth to what he said. After all, I _had_ called him a demon in one of my memories, but I had mistaken it as a crude remark. However, I wasn't going to believe this declaration without evidence. "You say that you are a demon? If so, prove it!"

Sebastian's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Ciel, you must surely wonder where that mark in your right eye came from," Sebastian said and I immediately raise a hand to my eye, just now realizing I had forgotten my eye patch in the alley. Good thing the waitress had been so infatuated with Sebastian that she had paid no heed to me. I watch with an unbelieving expression as Sebastian peels away his left glove to reveal a black mark that matches my eye. The demon's eyes are glowing a deep red now, his pupils having shrunk like cats'. "In your previous life, you formed a contract with me and this symbol is proof."

"What―"

"It's not your turn. Why do you insist on calling yourself Ciel?" he asks.

"Because it's my name, obviously―"

"The name from your memories," Sebastian points out and I nod reluctantly.

"My name _is_ Ciel, even if I'm forced to respond to 'Caelum'," I take another sip of my tea before asking my next question. "What were the terms of our so called contract?"

"I would help you complete your revenge and in return, I would receive your soul. I bowed down to your every whim, protected you and served as your butler." The demon's eyes looked hungry. Somehow, I must've cheated him from his meal. That, or my revenge was never completed so he never received his prize.

Revenge. Against who? The memories of pain and blood flash behind my eyes. That day when my mother and father were killed and I was humiliated… That definitely would've been good motivation for revenge against those foul humans.

"Have you―" I freeze and clutched my head in slight pain. Sebastian lifted an eyebrow. "Bo-chan?"

"I need a paper and a pen. Get me one!" I shout out in frustration. I saw that _thing_ again, the monster from last week. With everything going on, I hadn't even questioned its whereabouts.

"…Alright," Sebastian said and waved over the waitress. "But if I may inquire―"

"Just _wait a minute_, demon. I'm sure you've had centuries worth of practice."

Sebastian's eyebrow ticks at being talked so rudely too, but he indeed was very familiar with patience. Hell, he'd served this boy for a whole four years (well, not a _whole_, since he was in a coma for a while). The waitress came over and Sebastian asked for the pen and paper.

When she came back I quickly took the pen and started drawing on the paper. I could feel Sebastian's curious look as I lent over the paper some more, keeping the image of the beast in my mind. It had a long head, slimy body, giant teeth… Now was not the time to go into detail but I couldn't help shading underneath the neck and its jaw and showing its shiny skin. A couple minutes of rapid pen strokes later and I was finished.

"Do you know what this is?" I demand, holding up the sketch to the man's face.

I saw the surprise on his face. "Yes, it's a common pet back in Hell. They're rather vicious."

I pause. "A _pet?_ You keep these monsters as _pets?_"

"Yes, though I'm not too fond of them. I much prefer cats," Sebsatian says and starts to space out, dreaming about the balls of fur, probably.

"Well, it's been interesting, _demon_, but I must be leaving," I say as I rush to get up and left the café.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sebastian demands, following after me.

I pause to throw a look back at him. "Your _pet_ is going to slaughter everyone in my house! I'm not just going to stand by and let my friend be killed!"

"So you're going to try and stop it alone?" Sebastian shakes his head. "How reckless. It's not an act of bravery; it's just stupid, going up against a creature you know nothing about."

I glare at him heatedly. "And I suppose you're going to help me? Why? Why not just kill me and claim your prize, demon?"

"Because your soul does not interest me at the moment, Ciel," Sebastian says with a dull tone.

I freeze. "What?" I ask, stunned.

"Right now, it's merely a shadow of what it used to be." Sebastian walks up to me and leans down beside my ear. I can feel him inhaling my scent, my eyes wide at his close proximity. "I can smell it. So tempting," he murmurs and his breath tickles my ear. Sebastian steps back and stares at me with a false smile. "That said, without the memories of your past life, your soul is too plain for my liking."

I stare up at the demon. "Then help me retrieve them. For as long as I can remember, I've been taunted by memories of people I've never met and events that didn't happen to me. It feels like there's a part of me missing. I want to― _need_ to remember." I take a step closer to the demon, looking him directly in the eye. "Sebastian, if you help me until I receive my memories, I will give you my soul, if it truly belongs to you."

Sebastian kneels down on one knee and places a hand to his chest. "I accept, my Lord." He gets up, his eyes glowing a bright red, and leans in close to me yet again. "Besides, I've missed my Bo-chan _terribly_ over the years."

I give him a glare as he invaded my personal space. "Can't you make yourself useful, instead of whining about my death, by getting us quicker back to my house?"

"Unfortunately, I don't know where you are living at the moment, Young Master," Sebastian says with an apologetic smirk. It looked more mocking that sorry though.

I point down the street. "It's that way. I'll direct you as we go." I did want to get there quicker, but I didn't expect it when this man had the nerve to pick me up bridal style. "Hey― put me down!" I shout and hit at him with my small fists.

Sebastian, however, ignores me and starts sprinting down the street I pointed. He was going so fast that I couldn't help but clutch at his black jacket.

"You missed the turn," I point out and Sebastian stops so abruptly that I swear I can smell the rubber _burning_ against the pavement. My arms are wrapped tightly around his neck, my face buried in his throat, holding on even though the momentum wants to throw me across the abandoned street. I lift my head wearily and motion to the turn I had mentioned. "Go down there, then turn left, then an immediate right and keep going straight for a kilometer. After that, there's a fork in between the road: go right and take another right and we'll be on my street."

As I finish speaking, Sebastian starts racing down the streets. If I had any doubts about him being human, they've been completely eradicated by the speed the demon's running at. I can feel the wind whipping around my head and it feels… refreshing. The cool breeze at night nips at my face and I find myself pressing closer to the demon, if just for the warmth. He's incredibly warm, as if the fires of Hell burned inside of him.

Back in the café, I had a quick glimpse of my house. I couldn't see much, but I saw the blood that covered the side of it, near my room. Also, there was that creature standing there, lapping up blood from a corpse. I hope to any God that is out there that it's not Alois. I don't know what I'd do if he died.

"Bo-chan, we're here," Sebastian states.

"What?" I ask as I look up. We were, in fact, on my street. No way… That had been, what, a minute and a half? Two?

I fight with him and he puts me back on the ground. Wasting no time, I rush to my house. I sigh in relief that there's no blood splattered against the outside.

"This is your house, bo-chan?" I hear Sebastian speak from behind me. "I must say, I quite prefer your mansion. Much more class." He tsks disapprovingly.

"Shut up. It's not my choice to live here," I snap defensively. I notice there are no cars in the driveway. "That's weird. Lucis and Jackson should be here."

"Lucis and Jackson?" Sebastian inquires.

"My 'parents'," I inform him casually and walk up to the front door. It's locked so I punch in the code and it opens.

It's dark and quiet inside, but it's the middle of the night, so that's not surprising. Passing by my parents' room though, I notice that the door's open and nobody's in there.

"No one's here," I murmur. _Alois_. I run up the stairs and open the door to my room. No one.

"Bo-chan…did you paint this?" I hear the demon ask in astonishment.

I turn around and cast an eye at the painting Sebastian was holding. I remember painting that one; it was only about four months ago. In it, I was sitting behind a chess set, clearly winning. There was a smirk on my face that was turned slightly towards Sebastian, who was standing beside me. My butler was in the middle of serving me tea and, he too, had a knowing smirk on his face.

"I remember this day," Sebastian murmurs thoughtfully, running his finger delicately over the canvas.

"You do?" I ask in surprise.

Sebastian nods his head. "Yes. That was the last time you played chess with your aunt. You can see her red hat on your desk." Sebastian pointed out the article of clothing.

"Aunt Ann," I whisper and look up at Sebastian, my eyes large and round. "How did she die? You and I went to her funeral."

"She was murdered," Sebastian says simply. I open my mouth to ask for more details but Sebastian cuts me off before I can utter a word. "It's very complicated. We can go into detail about it another time."

"Fine," I agree reluctantly, disappointed that I wasn't going to get answers at the moment.

"They're very beautiful, the paintings, Bo-chan."

My eyes widen and I feel my face redden slightly. "Erm, thanks…"

The crunch of gravel alerts me that someone has returned. I rush to my window and see a teal SUV pulling up against the side of the road in front of the house. Relieved, I leave my room and make my way down to the front door.

"Alois!" I call out and walk over to the car.

Alois gets out and sees me. "Ciel!" he cries out and sprints over to me, almost tackling me to the ground with his hug. "Oh thank God you're alright! I thought you were dead! Mare came home looking like someone beat the shit out of him. I didn't really understand what he was saying, but he thought someone had murdered you."

"It's okay, I'm fine," I assure him.

Alois pulls back, looking at me with teary eyes, before bursting into waterworks again and wrapping his arms around me. "_Ciel!_"

I cautiously put my hands on his back and stare at him fondly. It was good to know _someone_ cared for my well being. Even though I had told Mare to run, I couldn't help but feel a little betrayed by him. After I ran all the way there to help him, he just turned around and ran away like a coward without even calling for any help.

"Alois Trancy," Sebastian whispers looking as shocked as he had been to see me alive.

Alois looks up, his tears gone, with narrowed eyes. "Who are you?" he asks dangerously, standing in front of me now. Then, his eyes widen. "No way…" Alois looks back at me and I nod.

"It is, indeed, Sebastian Michaelis," I confirm. Then I pause and look at the demon, confusion written all over my face. "Wait… did you just call him Alois _Trancy_? How do you even know who he is?"

Sebastian eyes Alois with distaste and I narrow my eyes in defense for my friend. "As it is, Bo-chan, you also knew Alois Trancy in your past life.

"W-what?" I stutter, not expecting that. I'd known Alois two-hundred years ago as well? But not once have I seen him in my visions!

Alois, however, seems completely calm about the situation. "That must be why I felt so drawn to you that day you came to my class. It was almost like I knew you already." Alois tilts his head to the side curiously, thinking how cool it was that he had a past life too. "But why don't _I_ get any awesome dreams about my past life?"

I shoot Alois a look. "They're not 'awesome', Alois. If I'd known you back then, I can almost assure you it was not a happy encounter. My life back then seemed pretty screwed up."

Alois purses his lips in thought before shrugging his shoulder uncaringly. "So why is he here?" Alois says and points at Sebastian, refusing to look at him though.

"He's agreed to help me retrieve my memories," I inform him. Now that I think about it, we might be able to help Alois get his memories back as well. I frown as a thought hits me. "Hey, Alois, why did you come back here?"

"Oh, well, when your parents came looking for you they were a little peeved to see me in your room instead of you, so they dropped me off at my grandparent's place. Jackson's pretty scary when he's mad, did you know that?" I give him a look to get to his point. "Anyway, I came back to see if you'd left any clues in your drawings about where you ran off to."

That was actually a pretty logical idea, on his part. I nod my head in acceptance to his story, then look back at Sebastian. "How do you suppose we're going to get my memories back?"

Sebastian shakes his head. "I'm not sure yet. Usually, if it had been a head injury causing amnesia, you'd try to surround the victim in familiar surroundings. However, for something like this, I'm not too sure."

We all stand there, trying to think of something. Alois is the first to speak. "Should we be staying here? I mean, what do you plan on telling them when they return with a bunch of cops? And how are you going to explain Michaelis, here?" Alois says as he waves his hand at the demon. "I don't think your parents are going to be okay with a grown man following you around."

"They're not my parents. They were just the ones burdened with my responsibility."

Alois averts his eyes. "Ah, right."

Sebastian lets out a sigh, looking annoyed that he isn't sure how to handle the situation. "Well, let's start by looking at the art work Trancy mentioned."

I stare as Sebastian and Alois glare daggers at each other. They've known each other for all of five minutes and they already hate each other. How childish.

"Alright. But first, I say that we should move everything to Alois' car. He's right: I don't want to be here when everyone returns because it would just cause unnecessary problems," I say as I start my way back towards my house.

I feel little regret leaving this place. This wasn't where I belonged, with my fake family. Though I had become accustomed to their presence, I'd never felt as close to them as I probably should have. Unconditional love… please! These people so rarely did anything for me, most of the time they're not even around.

As Sebastian and Alois start gathering up some of the larger canvases, I grab a back pack and start loading some of my preferred clothes in it, along with toiletries, my wallet and my art supplies. Then I grab my 'portfolio' of art sketches and place it carefully in a shoulder bag I find in my closet. I also find a spare eye patch, much to my great surprise and delight.

I have to smile at how carefully Alois handles all the paintings; he knows how much they mean to me. For the umpteenth time this night, I wonder if this is the right thing to do. Where are we going to go after we've finished packing everything? Alois' house would be ideal, since I'm pretty sure the demon doesn't have one, or else he should've mentioned it. That said, it's only a matter of time the police search his house since we're very close and Alois was at my house the night of the disappearance, unknowingly by my family until they had searched for me. Neither of us have any family that would be willing to help, nor any friends we can trust to stay at.

"Sebastian," I start when we're alone in my room. "How did I die?"

I notice the demon's shoulders tense slightly. "It's complicated."

"Everything's complicated when it comes to you, isn't it?" I demand. "All you do is avoid my questions. Shouldn't you have protected me?"

Sebastian's eyes flash red but I stare straight back at his dangerous look. "Do you think I didn't try? I―"

He was cut off from a loud curse outside. Sebastian's head snaps towards the window and he jumps out. Rushing towards it, I look out to see Sebastian battling against the monster from the other day. Turns out my vision was correct after all.

Once again tearing down the stairs, I rush over to the fallen blond. "Alois, are you alright?" I ask worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he mumbles. His hand reaches out to tentatively brush against his left arm and I notice a deep cut.

"You're bleeding," I whisper. "C'mon."

Alois and I back away as we watch Sebastian fight against the monster. The creature lets out an enraged cry and slashes at the demon. Unfortunately for it, Sebastian's way too quick and dodges it, kicking it in the stomach. It looks like Sebastian's in no trouble, so Alois and I go inside to clean his wound.

"It's not that bad, Ciel," Alois tries to convince me.

"Are you kidding me? There's blood everywhere!" I say as I look at his arm, which is drenched in the crimson liquid. Trying not to let it drip all over the floor, we arrive at the washroom.

Carefully, I wipe the blood off of his arm. I'm not quite sure how to deal with a wound like this, but it can't be that hard. I shrug and pour some hydrogen peroxide on it.

"Shit!" Alois yelps at the burning feeling. Then he looks at the wound, only to see white bubbles foaming from it. "Eww."

I wipe it away and put on antibiotic gel, then wrap it up. "There. Good enough."

Alois rolls his eyes at my lack of try. "If I die from infection, I'm going to kill you."

"Because that's logical," I snort.

"Bo-chan, I've taken care of the creature," Sebastian says while wiping his hands on his pants.

"Good." I nod my head in approval. "Let's grab the last of my stuff before everyone comes back."

As we're loading up the SUV, Sebastian pauses with a frown. "Trancy, what does it say on your shorts?"

"Admiring my ass, are you?" Alois smirks seductively and strikes a pose.

"Perverted demon," I mutter under my breath while I put in the last painting.

Alois looks at me in shock. "What? He's a _demon_? And you didn't think to tell me?"

I blink and look at him. "I didn't mention it? My mistake."

Sebastian lets out an exasperated sigh. "Please, you think too highly of yourself, Trancy; as if I'd stoop that low. The brand, though, it looks as if it says 'Sutcliff'."

Alois, who is too furious with the demon's insult, refuses to answer and gets into the driver's seat. I roll my eyes at his antics and get into the passenger's seat, Sebastian getting left with the back ones.

"And what if it does? _Sutcliff _is a designer brand store Alois enjoys to shop at," I inform him, leaning my head against my hand that's propped up against the window.

"I was once acquainted with someone whose surname was Sutcliff. Regrettably, he may be able to help us retrieve your memories, Bo-chan," Sebastian says.

"And me?" Alois pipes up.

Sebastian stares at him with cold eyes. "That wasn't part of the deal I made."

Alois' eyes darken and he gives Sebastian a cruel smirk. "Fine then, I won't tell you what I know about Sutcliff's whereabouts. She has mansions all around the world and only members to her fan club know which country she's in at the moment, much less which continent."

The demon's eyes narrow and his pupils shrink. "If it is possible to retrieve Ciel's memories, then we will retrieve yours as well, Trancy."

Alois' grin widens and he says mockingly, "I'm glad you've had a change of heart, demon."

* * *

><p>It's official; Sebastian and Alois loathe each other. I've never seen the demon act out this much (well, I've only <em>officially<em> known him for a few hours) but I must admit it's getting on my nerves. All they do is glare at each other and give the occasional insult to each other's appearance, personality and race.

It's almost five when we get to Alois' house and I'm exhausted to say the least. My head still hurts from earlier and the high I got from running to Mare's safety, not to mention escaping from that demon only to land into another's hands, is fading

"Aren't your grandparents going to hear us?" I ask Alois, hiding a yawn behind my hand.

Alois waves me off. "No. Not even an earthquake could wake them up; I know that for a fact, too."

Sebastian and I raise an eyebrow at him. We make our way into the blond's room and Alois pulls out his laptop and presses the ON button. As we're waiting for it to load, Alois starts packing a suitcase. I gape at him as he tries to throw his whole fricking closet into it.

"Alois, that's not all going to fit! Why do you even _need_ to pack that much?" I ask in exasperation.

"Because― I need― variation in my clothing, Ciel," Alois says choppily as he tries to push his suitcase close. He finally decides to just sit on top of it and zip it up from there.

"And that bag…?" Sebastian asks as he watches Alois grab a huge bag and head towards the bathroom.

"For all my creams and hair products. You can borrow some, if you want. It might help your pasty face and greasy hair," Alois calls out from the bathroom. I can just see the mocking smile on his face.

Sebastian, meanwhile, is seething. I turn back and stare at the black aura forming around him. "Can I kill him?"

"No. Though I understand your feelings, we can't." As much as the blond can be annoying and plain out rude to Sebastian, I'm not going to let him _kill_ my best friend because of it. Besides, it's sort of amusing, seeing that demon getting made fun of. It can't happen that often so I'm determined to make the best of it while I can!

"Alois, your computer's done loading! What's your password," I yell at him.

"'RainbowPears'."

"…Are you serious?"

"Ya," Alois says as he comes over and types in RainbowPears. Alois looks at me. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

I shake my head. "Alois…nothing. Just get onto that site," I say in half amusement half disbelief. Honestly, _RainbowPears_? How does he think of these things?

"Sebastian, explain how this Sutcliff guy can help us," I demand.

"Grell Sutcliff is a shinigami," Sebastian starts.

"Shinigami? You mean like a God of Death or Grim Reaper?" Alois asks from his odd pose in his chair. He seems to have found a lollipop and is holding it with his thumb and index finger. "So they _do_ exist."

Sebastian gives him a strange look. "It's the shinigami's job to reap the souls of the dead. They judge them using their cinematic records to look back on everything that has happened in their life. Then they store the records in their library."

"So Sutcliff will have access to these records and I'll be able to see my past life," I finish with wide eyes. Sebastian nods his head, a demonic smirk playing at his lips.

"Ciel, I've found where Sutcliff is staying." Alois announces.

"Where?" I demand.

"_Ciel, avez-vous déjà allé à la ville de l'amour ?_ " Alois asks with a suggestive smirk.

_Paris._

* * *

><p><strong>So how was it? Next chapter Ciel's going to Paris! And a certain perverted shinigami is going to be introduced ;) Oh, did anyone notice a certain manga refrence I made? I didn't mean to originaly, but then I saw it so I made it <em>slightly<em> more apparent. Please review if you have the time and just tell me whether you're enjoying the story or not or anything else ^^ They inspire me to write faster! **


	6. Reaper, Painted in Rouge and Rose Petals

**Hello once again! I'm terribly sorry for the longer wait, but I've been on a trip so I haven't had time to write :( I hope this chapter is good as well, though I'm looking forward to writing the next. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed; you guys rock as usual! ^^ **

**Nicky: Thanks so much haha! I'm glad you feel proud. Oh my gosh, I'm sorry haha. I forgot to put a translation on, but Alois said "Ciel, have you ever been to the city of love?" ;)**

**TROLOL: Haha you were actually right! ^^ Yeah, it just sort of happened so that's why it wasn't really apparent or anything, but I'm suprised you actually noticed! Thanks for the review :)**

**Warnings*Mature language, sexual scenes (but no lemons, srry ^^;), Yaoi, a couple OCs :( , gore**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji, Yana Toboso does. The scene with Claude is very much based off of the anime scene so I take pretty much no credit for that scene :/**

* * *

><p>It's been a <em>long<em> four hours. Two hours into the drive and the sun had started to rise, waking me up and eradicating all possible chances of getting more sleep. I'm glad I still got the first two hours though, as it seems Alois is now too warn out to bicker with the demon sitting behind us.

I feel sort of bad as I gaze at Alois from tired eyes. It must suck to be forced to drive us all the way to Paris. I'd have offered to drive some of the way but I'm under age and Sebastian, apparently, doesn't even _know_ how to drive. How do you live as long as he does and not know how to drive?

"As it is, Bo-chan, I haven't returned to the human realm much these past years since your death," Sebastian says when I asked the question out loud. "And when I am here, there's never been any need to drive anywhere when I can just run."

"Why _do_ you return? To search for more souls to contract?" I ask curiously. I'm honestly interested in all this demon business. It's not something you can just find down at the library or on the internet (well, you _could_, but how do you factor out the truth from the lies?).

Sebastian shakes his head. "No. I haven't formed a contract since our own."

My brows furrow together. "Why not? Aren't you hungry?"

"_Very_," the demon says with a dangerous smirk. "But I have been too busy to go searching for other souls of a satisfying caliber." He notices I'm about to ask him another question and answers before I have the chance. "I'm looking for someone."

"Who?"

Sebastian rolls his eyes. "Honestly, Young Master, what is it with all these questions?"

"Well, what do you expect?" I snap. "I'm bored!"

"Ugh!" Alois yells out in frustration and harshly presses the button to turn the sound system on. Kesha's 'Blah Blah Blah' starts blaring from the speakers and effectively shuts Sebastian and me up. There's no way we could host a conversation over this horrible noise anyhow.

I go back to staring moodily out the window, watching trees and land fly by. Eventually, I get sick of all the crap they play on the radio and turn it off. Silence envelops the car again.

Twenty minutes later, I jump as the car suddenly swerves to the right. Alois' head jerks up, his terrified eyes wide.

"Stop the car," I tell him forcefully.

"I'm fine." Alois tries to assure me but I'm not buying it.

"Alois, you almost _fell asleep_. Get out, I'll drive," I say as Alois pulls over.

"But," Alois yawns, "you're under age."

"We've got a demon in the back. They pull us over they can damn well deal with him."

Sebastian raises an eyebrow at me, probably thinking that he's not just some pawn to utilize when it suits the situation. How wrong he is.

Alois tosses me the keys and I put the SUV into drive.

"So… the gas pedal is on the right, right?" I ask cautiously. Alois and Sebastian both tense.

"Bo-chan, if you crash this vehicle, I will certainly protect you. Your friend, however, might not be so fortunate," Sebastian says warily.

"Shut up. I know how to drive; I just happened to forget since I haven't driven in a while," I say in my defense. It doesn't seem to satisfy them though, and I growl at them to go watch the birds or something.

Alois purses his lips and shrugs, seemingly too tired to care about my lack of knowledge on driving. He curls up into a ball and immediately falls into a deep sleep.

"Shit," I curse as I clumsily hit the brakes to stop at the stop sign. Just as I do, a car comes around from the blind corner and flies past, going at an alarmingly fast rate. "Huh. I guess stop signs _do_ have there use."

Sebastian is pinching the bridge of his nose, seemingly distressed by my driving. I'm not that bad though. So I ran a few stop lights, and had to swerve around an old lady as to not run her over, and I _did_ end up going the wrong way down a one way street, but we're still okay! Alois didn't even wake up, either.

Looking in the rear view mirror, I see Sebastian quietly sitting in the back seat. There seems to be something troubling on his mind as he stares out the window to his left. I could only guess at what he's thinking of. Was there truly a time where I was so dependant on this being? How close had we been that he's the center of attention while I'm unconscious? If he was merely a butler, I shouldn't have even acknowledged his presence, much less…much less… what? I don't understand these alien feelings, nor am I comfortable with them.

Sebastian's eyes flicker to mine in the mirror and a smirk crosses his face. "Liking what you see, Bo-chan?"

I bristle. "No! And I thought I told you not to call me that."

Sebastian raises and eyebrow. "I've been calling you Bo-chan ever since we left the café and you haven't said anything till now?"

I ignore him as I see a metallic green sign. _Paris, 16km_. We're _finally here_.

"Alois. Wake up." I lean over and shake him with a hand, but he doesn't budge. "_Alois._" Annoyed, I grab the plastic water bottle sitting in the cup holder and chuck it at his head.

"Ow," Alois moans, rubbing his head. "Why the hell did you throw a water bottle at my head?"

I guess that was a little drastic. "We're in Paris. I need the directions to Sutcliff's mansion."

"Oh, those are back here," Sebastian mutters as he pushes a bag out of the way to grab a few sheets of paper.

I clench the steering wheel. "And you didn't think to tell me this earlier?"

"In my defense, you didn't ask. What, do you expect me to read your mind?" Sebastian asks in disbelief that I was blaming him for my bad mood.

"No," I admit reluctantly, then wince as I narrowly miss the curb. "The sooner I get out of this damn car, the better it will be for all of us."

Alois, fully awake by now, reaches over and tries to grab the papers out of Sebastian's hands, who just glares and raises them away from him. Half an hour later of messily driving around the French city (how have I not been arrested or killed yet?), we pull up to a winding driveway that leads into a secluded forest of deciduous trees. The trees were painted a beautiful red, orange and yellow, the path covered in falling leaves from the autumn weather.

"Ah! It's so beautiful here!" Alois gushes as he stares out the windshield excitedly. Then he points out a building. "Look! It's the mansion!"

While Alois is literally bouncing in his seat, Sebastian is staring apprehensively at the mansion, as if it's something he's dreading. I can't help but feel a little excited; this might be the moment I get my memories back. After all this time, I'll finally know what happened. I cast another quick glance at the reflection of the raven haired demon before pulling up in front of the mansion.

It's beautiful, grand. Built out of red-brown bricks, it has three floors above ground, not counting the one turret that goes up another story. Gorgeous rose bushes surround the house, some with vines climbing up the walls, leaving a prickly trail of thorns. Old style windows with black framing are placed erratically on the mansion. In front of the house is a large fountain in the shape of two sea animals. At first, I thought they were dolphins, but upon further study, I see that they're actually _sharks_.

We pull up the last stretch of the driveway and I put the SUV into park. Its teal paint stands out terribly against the mansion's color. I'm just thankful to be out of that blasted car and on real ground once again; I think Sebastian and Alois are relieved as well, that they won't have to face the horrors of my driving any longer. Sebastian leads us up to the front door and he knocks loudly against the solid wood. A second later it opens to reveal a smiling maid with dyed blond hair and thin rimmed salmon colored glasses.

"Bonjour, Monsieurs! Comment est-ce que je peux vous aidez ?" The maid asks kindly. Her outfit's a little odd. It looks like a regular black maid outfit, but instead of white, it's been replaced with a crimson red.

"Good day, _Mademoiselle_. We are looking for Grell Sutcliff. Is he here at the moment?" Sebastian asks politely.

"Ah, Madame Sutcliff? Yes, she's 'ere. May I ask why you are visiting?" the maid says in a French accent. "'Owever, she's very busy at ze moment."

"Please tell 'her'," Sebastian winces as speaks of Grell as if he were female, "that it's very important. If you must, tell Grell that 'Sebastian' is here."

The maid looks dubious that that would work, but she agrees nonetheless. "D'accord… Please wait in ze foyer for now."

Sebastian, Alois and I walk in to the amazing foyer and stand there awkwardly, waiting for what ever it was that was going to happen. Suddenly, we hear footsteps coming from the hallway the floor above us.

"Honestly, distracting a lady when she's getting her nails done…" Grell (I assume) mumbles out loud while walking down the corridor. He's dressed in…a scarlet bathrobe. His bright red hair is flowing along his back as he walks and he's wearing red glasses with skull chains. Grell seems to be too preoccupied with observing his finger nails to notice us until he gets to the stairs. Then, he casually casts his glance down to us, and freezes completely. "…Sebas-chan?"

Grell suddenly lets out a high pitch squeal and races towards Sebastian down the stairs before jumping and throwing his arms around my butler's neck. "Oh_, Sebas-chan_~ It's been so looong~ It's not nice to keep a lady waiting, you know!"

Sebastian struggles to remove the red _thing_ from his neck. "Grell, please release me. I haven't come back to visit you. There's something I need and you'll be able to help me, I presume."

"So cold, Sebas-chan!" Grell pouts as Sebastian pushes him away from him, placing a hand on his hip in a feminine manner.

Alois gasps. "Oh my gosh, you're even more beautiful in person! I'm so jealous~"

Grell blinks and turns to the blond, just noticing his presence. Then, he frowns slightly, opening his mouth but closing it without saying anything. "You're…that Trancy kid!" he exclaims in recognition. "I remember; I was about to reap your soul when that golden eyed demon came and took it! But then… how are you alive?"

"Gah! _The_ Grell Sutcliff was going to reap my soul? That's the most incredibly awesome thing _ever!_" Alois swoons as he learns that his idol, who is actually a God of Death, would've judged his soul.

I walk up and whack him on the back of the head, trying to knock sense into him. "Alois, somebody _reaping your soul_ is not _awesome,_ nor is it _incredible_, even if it happens to be some famous fashion designer," I scold him. "Honestly…"

Suddenly, Grell's eyes narrow. "You!" he cries out. "How are you alive too? I thought I'd finally been rid of your presence and I could have my Sebas-chan~ all to my self!"

I stare harshly at the man. "You're the guy with the chainsaw! You fought Sebastian," I accuse.

Grell looks mildly surprised that I didn't really know who he was. "You don't remember me, do you?" Then he turns to Sebastian. "What's going on?"

"Why don't we discuss this somewhere more appropriate? Also, have some tea and snacks made for the Young Master and Trancy," Sebastian says coolly.

Grell gives me an annoyed glance, as if he's angered by the thought of having to provide me with nourishment. However, he does as Sebastian asks and gets the maid to tell the cook to prepare lunch.

Alois immediately starts up a conversation with Grell as he leads us to the gardens, gushing about how fabulous his designs are and whatnot. Grell had been weary of the blond boy at first, but soon he warmed up and now was energetically discussing clothing with Alois.

"I didn't realize you had memories of Grell," Sebastian states.

Slightly startled, I look up at him. "I don't remember much about him; only bits and pieces of a certain scene. You were fighting him, but that's all I know. Why were you fighting him, Sebastian?"

"Do you know of Jack the Ripper?" Sebastian asks me. I nod and he continues. "Back when you were Earl Phantomhive, you were also the Queen's Watchdog and thus were charged with the duty of disposing anything that displeased Her Majesty. One of your tasks was to stop a murderer known as 'Jack the Ripper'."

"Grell Sutcliff…" I piece together and Sebastian nods his head.

"So you ordered me to dispose of him."

"Then why didn't you?" I demand. Had the demon disobeyed my orders? Perhaps he wasn't so trustworthy after all.

"I was about to finish him off when an associate of his," Sebastian's eyes seem to darken, "came by and claimed him before I was able to complete your order. From then on, he had his uses when we saw him, so I did not kill him off. Luckily, too, or else it'd be a lot more difficult to retrieve your memories, Bo-chan."

"Hm," is the only answer I give because I'm to lazy to think of another response. So it wasn't _really_ Sebastian's fault that he disobeyed my order, technically.

The doors open to a magnificent garden in the backyard of Grell's mansion. I'm flooded by the sight of thousands of scarlet roses. Further off to the right is a large swimming pool with a cover on top to keep out the dying leaves. Grell leads us to two black sofas hiding under the shade of an umbrella.

Sebastian takes a seat on the one closest to us, which then prompts Grell to jump beside him and curl up against the demon. The demon's eyebrow ticks and he gives the red head an annoyed smile before rudely shoving him of the edge of the couch.

"Ouch!" Grell cries as he falls onto the pavement. Thinking quickly, I sit beside Sebastian so Grell wouldn't have another chance. It wouldn't do to have the demon kill our only source to my memories, no matter how much fun it is to see him loose his composure. Grell gets up and stares at me with distaste, as if he wants to reap my soul right now, before he walks despondently over to the other sofa. "So, if you're not here to see me, then why _are_ you here, Sebby?"

I notice Sebastian's hands clench at the nickname and elbow him slightly, trying to convey to him with my eyes that he had to wait until Sutcliff was of no use to us before killing him. Sebastian looks surprised that I elbowed him, but his demeanor calms.

"As you can see, Sutcliff, it seems my Young Master has been reincarnated, along with Trancy."

Grell frowns, looking at me curiously. "How can that Phantomhive brat be reincarnated if you ate his soul?"

"I didn't."

Grell looks even more horrified at this. "You _spared him_? I knew you were quite attached to that child, but for you not to even eat his soul―"

Sebastian's eyes flash a demonic red. "_I didn't spare him_. He was killed before I had the chance to devour his soul. That said, I now have another chance." A frightening smile traces across Sebastian's lips and I don't know how I should feel. This demon was going to _kill me_. Finding my memories surely isn't worth this, but it's almost as if there's invisible strings attached to me, influencing me to continue down this dangerous path which will certainly have a cheerless ending. "Alas, without his memories, my Bo-chan's soul isn't nearly as deliciously scarred as it used to be. So this is where you come in, Grell," Sebastian says while pointing at the shinigami. "I need you to retrieve his cinematic records."

Grell stared at him. "And what's in it for me? Sorry Sebby, but as much as I like you and find you _extremely_ attractive, I'm not willing to lend out favors for free, much less for the benefit of that brat." Grell taps a finger pensively against his chin. "In fact, if I recall properly, you still owe me that kiss~ With tongue!"

I look at Sebastian, confused.

"You sold me as a bribe to get Grell to help you save your cousin," Sebastian deadpans.

"AHAHAHA!" Alois bursts out laughing, pointing at Sebastian while clutching his stomach.

I can practically see the dark aura forming (yet again…) around Sebastian as he glares at Alois.

"How about if you help us, you'll get your long awaited kiss, Sutcliff?" I wager.

Sebastian turns to me, his face reflecting shock and horror. "Bo-chan!"

Grell thinks it over. "I don't think you realize the consequences of stealing cinematic records and handing them off to a _demon_, much less. Besides, he already owes me that kiss! I want something else too!" Grell complains.

"Since when have you cared about consequences…" I hear Sebastian mutter quietly, still annoyed about the whole kiss ordeal.

"Well, what do you want then?" I demand irritably, tapping my foot.

"Hmm…" Grell purses his lips musingly. Then his eyes light up. "Oh! Sebas-chan can model for some of the new outfits I've designed! Ah, I can already see it~" he murmurs dreamily, a blush dusting his cheeks.

I raise an eyebrow. Out of everything he could want, the transvestite chose a kiss and a photo shoot. Whatever, his loss. "Fine, sounds good. You help us and you'll get your kiss and Sebastian can model for you."

"Do I not get an opinion?" Sebastian asks, incredulous.

"Oh, you get one; it just doesn't matter," sneers Alois.

We both ignore him. "Either you do this, or we won't be able to get my memories back."

Sebastian stares at me and I can see him contemplating the decision. '_Kiss Grell, or lose my delicious meal that I worked my ass off for…'_

After a few moments, Sebastian grudgingly agrees. "Fine."

A delighted smile passes over Grell's face, revealing his sinister shark like teeth.

* * *

><p>Alois and I have unpacked, with Sebastian helping, since he had no belongings. The room I'm staying in is a timid blue with white trimming. I must admit that the furnishing is quite beautiful. Everything seems to fit in, from the Victorian style bed cover and chairs to the color of the paint and sheets. There's a vase full of fresh white roses Sebastian found, though I don't know where he got them since the garden's only full of red. A giant mirror sits parallel to the window which over looks the forest outside. I've placed my clothes in the wardrobe and my canvases are lying haphazardly around the room.<p>

The sun's setting by now and outside I can see Sebastian doing poses for Grell's photo shoot. Grell had decided he wanted insurance that we were actually going to follow through with our deal this time, so we've decided we'll do the modeling now and the kiss after his part of the deal is complete. It's hard to ignore the man outside, I've tried. He's so photogenic it's ridiculous. No matter _what_ he does, it looks hotter than Hell itself and it's frustrating to no ends. And why isn't he wearing a shirt? If he's advertising the pants, why not wear a shirt too and get a two-for-one photo? Honestly! Grell is _not_ a smart business man. Also, what's with the water? I doubt many men will be walking around the streets downtown without shirts, dripping with water!

"Ciel, what are you glaring at?" Alois asks as he walks into the room.

"I'm not―"

"Oh." Alois stares out the window intently as Sebastian strikes a few more poses. "If he wasn't such a demonic prick after your soul, I might actually find that man attractive."

At that exact moment, Sebastian looks up with a sexy smirk, almost as if he'd heard us from the second floor. Who knows? Maybe he had. I have yet to learn about the physical advantages of being a supernatural being.

Alois sticks his tongue out at him and pulls me away from the window. "C'mon, Ciel. Let's go paint a picture or something."

"You actually want to paint?" I ask incredulously.

Alois shrugs. "Sure, why not."

How peculiar, Alois usually wasn't patient enough to actually sit down and paint for a couple of hours. Nonetheless, I grab a canvas, an acrylic paper for Alois, a box full of acrylic paint and some paintbrushes. Alois complains why he only got a paper and I tell him that he's never actually going to finish a painting. I leave to grab a bowl of water and come back to see Alois lying on the floor, his feet kicking in the air while he doodles on his paper. I sit beside him and stare blankly at my canvas, not sure what I want to draw.

The gold seems to call out to me so I reach forward and pull the bottle, along with some shades of brown and black. Taking a pencil, I carefully sketch out the basic form of a face. The space between the eyes should be exactly one eye length, so I should make the gap smaller… A picture is starting to form in my mind. The face is longer, with a defined nose. My pencil sketches out the hair in careful wisps, the longer bangs cupping the man's face. I study the light pencil strokes and decide that a pair of square glasses would suit this stoic man perfectly. Once I'm satisfied with the sketch of the face, I dip my paintbrush in the golden paint.

I always start with the eyes of a painting because they tell the story. Everything depends on the emotion they display, so they're the most important part, in my opinion. These eyes, they look dangerous, as a predatory gleam shines in them. I don't like them, but I have to finish the painting. I have to see who this man is. Painting black strokes for the eyelashes, I finish the eyes.

I continue onto the thin black eyebrows, then the midnight glasses. Once I've finished with those, I wait for them to dry by spending my time painting the flesh tone.

"Done!" Alois exclaims and I jolt out of my trance like state. I look at him with dead eyes as he holds up his picture, seemingly proud. He points to the figures on the painting. "See? That's you, with the eye patch, and that's me in the purple!"

"Alois…" I start out slowly. "Why are we being chased by a giant butterfly with razor blades for teeth?"

"Well, because we're playing tag, obviously! Silly," Alois chastises me.

I stare at Alois. "I seriously worry for you sometimes, Alois."

"Psh." Alois waves me off and crawls over to see what I'm doing. "Can I see?" Even thought it's not finished I decide to let him see it. His reaction, though, I wasn't expecting. Alois went stalk still, staring with wide eyes at the face. "W-who's that?" he stutters.

A curious but worried expression takes over my face. "I don't know. Why? Do _you_ know?"

Alois shakes his head and a quiet 'no' escapes his lips. He looks troubled, staring at the photo. Reaching a hand out to it, as if to stroke it, he remembers that it's still wet and he pulls it back. "He's quite beautiful, isn't he?"

Oh. I understand. Alois is just taken by this man's 'beautiful' face. I shouldn't have been worried. "I guess you could say that…"

"I'm…thirsty." Alois gets up and leaves. "I'll be back."

I watch as Alois leaves, my concern coming back. Uncertainly turning back to my painting, I pick up the paintbrush and dip it in the black liquid.

* * *

><p>There's this feeling of apprehension I can't shake off. This whole situation is surreal. Should I be trusting this black haired man? Of course not; he's a bloody <em>demon!<em> But I do trust him. It's such a relief to finally know that I'm not crazy like everyone thought back home, that Sebastian is actually real and that I did have a past life back in the 1800s. Now that I know they're not just some crazy recurring nightmares I have, I _need_ to know what happened, who I truly am.

Still, I have a horrible feeling that once I do know, nothing will ever be the same. Of course it won't; everything's changed already. I'll never be able to return to my home with Mare, Lucis and Jackson. Even if I do return, I don't think I could live around them anymore, especially with a demon tailing after my soul. Ever since that first murder where Bruce died, a chain of events has been leading up to this. My predictions of the murders, learning that the people I have lived with aren't even my real family, running off to save Mare… All of this has lead up to me now having the chance to regain my memories; surely that must count for something.

I eye the completed painting of the man with the dark hair and glasses that is sitting on my dresser. Yet another mysterious person without a name… Perhaps I should ask Sebastian, but that can wait until tomorrow. The day is catching up with me and I feel exhausted. Burying my face in the pillow, I try to fall asleep.

* * *

><p><em>Alois was sitting against a tree trunk, a trail of blood leading to him. His shirt was completely soaked in the crimson liquid and his eyes shut as a giant grey wolf jumped at him. Before it could kill him, there was a splash of blood, and a tall man was holding the now dead wolf. <em>

"_What are you attempting to do, Danna-sama?" The man asked. Alois opened his eyes, tears welling up in them. The man threw the wolf away while continuing. "You haven't obtained Ciel Phantomhive yet."_

_With hopeful eyes, Alois crawled towards him on his hands and needs, the tears finally spilling over. "You're all I have."_

"_Don't be ridiculous, Danna-sama," the man said coldly, staring down at the pathetic form. _

_Alois shook his head in denial. "Shut up...Shut up… Shut up! You're the only one in my world now!" he cried out while sobbing. Alois crawled the last bit over to the black haired man's leg and clutched it desperately. "Hoheo taralna, rondero tarel! Don't leave my side! Never, Claude! You're… _You_ are my Higness!"_

_Claude looked down on him with emotionless eyes, before lowering himself to one knee and cupping Alois' face, provoking a surprised noise from the blond. Leaning in, Claude wiped the tears off of Alois' face and a small smile appeared on his long face. "What a thing to say to a mere butler." _

_Claude's eyes could be mistaken for warmth and caring. Alois bought into it, smiling happily through his tears. _

_Then, Claude crushed his head._

* * *

><p>I shoot up in bed, gasping. Th―that man! Claude; he was the one who killed Alois! I run a hand over my face before looking over and seeing that man's face on the canvas. Snarling, I get up and swat it to the floor and the painting falls face down.<p>

Millions of things are running through my mind. Unfortunately, they're mostly unanswered questions. I quickly come to the conclusion that Claude can't be human, because humans can't crush skulls with their hands (right?). Then, maybe he's another demon. He certainly looked similar to Sebastian, considering he was also dressed up as a butler. Maybe… did Alois have a contract with a demon, like myself? The same as Sebastian, Claude became a butler and served Alois to complete his goal.

But what was his goal? _'You haven't obtained Ciel Phantomhive yet'. _That's what Claude had said. I don't know what to make of that sentence, so I'll leave it be for now.

The way that Alois looked at Claude bothers me, though. It was almost as if he…he _loved_ him or something. Claude was the most important person to Alois, it seems, and then Claude led him on, as if he cared for him as well. And then he killed him, without a second thought.

A terrible thought strikes me. If they _were_ contracted, _then how did Claude kill Alois before it was completed? _Was it possible to just go 'Oh, screw it! I'm bored, so I'm going to end out contract!'? My trust of demons is definitely diminishing.

I get up, deciding I need some fresh air, and perhaps a snack. Wandering over to the bedroom door, I open it and walk down the hall. I feel a breeze blowing by and turn my head curiously. At the end of the hall is an open window. Walking silently over there in my socks, I peer out the window carefully. I'm surprised to see Sebastian sitting on the balcony rail from another room. He's just sitting there, his legs dangling. The wind's blowing his hair softly and the moon reflects off of him. Sebastian looks so at peace that I can't help but stare.

"Oh! _Sebas-chan_." Grell purrs, falling down from the sky and landing gracefully on the thin railing. "We're you up waiting for me~?"

The peaceful moment ruined, Sebastian turns his annoyed eyes to the shinigami. "No." Sebastian casts an eye over his quotidian clothing. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Yep. I get to paint ugly mortals with beautiful crimson petals~" Grell says excitedly. "But that can wait; I'm not going to waste a beautiful moon lit night with my Sebas-chan~"

With that, Grell sits down uncomfortably close to Sebastian. "Saaay, Sebby?" Grell starts uncertainly. Sebastian's eyes flicker over to the red head. "I don't mind you staying here, but I'm not sure it's a good idea. You're aware that the Shinigami are neutral in this war, for the most part?"

War? My forehead creases as I take in this new information. Between who?

"Yes, I am aware," Sebastian says. "In fact, I'm surprised your kind is neutral; I would've thought you'd have wanted to put an end to us pesky demons."

Grell shrugs. "I don't know. Of course, there are some who want to side with Heaven, but we've over ruled them. The higher ups have decided they're fine with being neutral as long as neither of the sides go on a rampage, causing more work for us. Personally, I want to get in on the action~" Grell smiles sadistically, razor sharp teeth shining dangerously.

"You said 'neither' sides? You think the Angels would slaughter the humans?" Sebastian asks curiously, searching for more information.

"I doubt they'd go out and kill for fun, they're _so~ _boring, but if anyone were to get in there way, they're at the point now where they'll just get rid of them. That, and they've been contracting more and more people to pledge them to heaven's side. You wouldn't believe how many human spies they have out right now."

Sebastian doesn't answer and they sit their in silence for a few minutes. "Tomorrow, we'll retrieve Ciel Phantomhive's memories and his soul will belong to me once again."

"What about the Trancy kid's?" Grell asks curiously.

"I told my Bo-chan I would, so I guess I'll have to retrieve his as well."

Grell frowns. "Sebas-chan, why are you so attached to that kid? Is your contract still even valid? I mean, he _died_, even if you didn't eat his soul."

"The mark of contract is still here, even after all these years." Sebastian bites the glove and pulls it off with his teeth, revealing the black mark on his left hand. "I assume it's because I finished my part of the deal, but my Young Master has yet to give me his soul."

Grell looks uncertain. "Is his soul _that_ good tasting that you're still determined to get it?"

"Yes."

Suddenly, Grell smiles flirtatiously. "Say, _Sebas-chan_, if you're hungry I wouldn't mind it if you eat _me_ in the meantime," he says suggestively.

Sebastian doesn't answer, but stands up carefully on top of the railing and dusts off his suit. Then, he turns to Grell and kicks him in the face.

"Ow!" Grell cries out as he falls off the railing, down to the harsh ground below. He jumps up and clenches his fists while jumping up and down in frustration. "You aimed for my face on purpose~!" Grell snarls and revs up his chainsaw that has materialized from the air. "You'll pay for hitting a lady, _Sebas-chan_!"

Sebastian rolls his eyes. "Please. I thought you had work to do or something. Goodnight, Grell," Sebastian says sarcastically and walks back into the room leaving an angered Grell shouting after him.

I rush back to my room, trying as hard as can to be quick but silent. Slipping past the threshold, I shut the door quietly and praise the good quality door not squeaking.

I'm quite annoyed. I hate this feeling of helplessness. The more I search for answers the more these frustrating questions keep popping up. In the morning, I'd better be getting some damn answers from that blasted demon! Honestly.

* * *

><p>"<em>Day into night, sugar into salt, living to dead, dark blue into gold. That's what makes a Trancy butler."<em>

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><p><strong>So how was it? I'm not too sure about this chapter, but I'd love to hear your guys' opinions ^^ After all, the harshest critic is always yourself (or something like that, right? ^^; ) I'm going to try super hard to get the next chapter out soon, because I'm leaving for another trip in, like, 5 days D; Reviews always inspire me to write more, so please leave one if you have the time ^^ Also, I'm thinking of bringing Will into this story soon as well (and I'm trying to think of a way to include Undertaker as well :D ) I've discovered a new found adoration for WillxGrell. If any of you feel the same (and can read french) Dynamic-in-red has a new fabulous one shot! See you all next chapter ^^<strong>


	7. Records, Stolen through Force and Lies

**Holy crap! I'm in a super insane rush right now cause I'm just about to leave for my trip, but I really wanted to post this chapter up for you guys to make up for not being here next week! Thanks for the reviews, I look forward to hearing more when I come back. This is the longest chapter I've written yet so I hope you enjoy it! Umm, I can't think of any more, except that in the memory part of this chapter there is huge spoilers for any of u who aren't up to date with the manga. You can skip the parts you haven't read yet in the memory section if you want, but you've been warned ^^ K! I have to hurry! *Panic mode***

**Warnings*Mature language, sexual scenes (but no lemons, srry ^^;), Yaoi, a couple OCs (eww) , gore, spoilers for whole manga**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji, Yana Toboso does. Some scenes are based off of Yana's awesome work so I of course don't take credit for her ideas. **

* * *

><p>A distinct knocking on my door wakes me up the next morning. "Bo-chan, it's time for you to get up."<p>

I groan as I hear _his_ voice and turn to burry my face in my pillow. What the hell was that demon doing here anyway? The door opens and I freeze.

"Young Master?" I hear his annoying voice ask with false concern.

"What are you doing in my room?" I growl, sitting up tiredly and chucking my pillow at him. "Have you no sense of privacy?"

Sebastian raises an eyebrow and catches it easily. "Excuse me, Bo-chan, but I've already let you sleep in to seven-thirty, so―"

"Seven-thirty?" I exclaim. "_Seven-thirty?_ Are you crazy? I'm exhausted, I'm not getting up! Now go away," I mumble the last part, turning away from him and hiding my head under the blankets. Hearing him sigh, I smirk in triumph and relax into the bed. Unfortunately, I should have figured he wouldn't leave so easily, damn him. Before I can register what's happening, the blankets are whipped off of me, leaving me chilled to the bone. "HEY!"

"Come now, Bo-chan, don't be so childish," Sebastian says as if he's disappointed in me. I've started to yell more obscenities at him when his next words stop me completely. "Don't you want to regain your memories as soon as possible?"

I'm silent for a moment. Admittedly, that was a _really_ good point.

"Fine. I'm getting up," I grumble, throwing my legs off the bed and stretching slightly. I despise mornings, especially having to get up this early. Hearing rumbling, I glance over to see Sebastian at my wardrobe. I demand suspiciously, "What are you doing?"

"Getting your outfit for the day."

My eyes widen. "No you're not! I'm perfectly capable of getting prepared by myself," I snap, walking over to where he was standing and grabbing the shirt he had in his hands.

Sebastian looks let down. "Oh, that's right. You'll have to pardon me, Bo-chan, I'd become so accustom to you not even being able to tie your own shoelace, much less dress yourself properly."

I look at him, horrified. "You used to _dress me_?" I gasp, my face reddening.

"But of course, Bo-chan," Sebastian says with a devious smirk, enjoying my embarrassment thoroughly. "What kind of butler would I be if I did not do such a thing?"

I gape at him, my face burning. If that type of thing was acceptable back then, it surely wasn't now a days! Imagine if someone were to learn that this full grown man had to dress me at the age of fourteen; I'd die from the shame. Trying to regain my composure, I give him a stern look. "Well, I am no longer in need of your service to complete such menial tasks, so go prepare breakfast or something instead."

Sebastian still looks amused at my discomfort. "You'll see, Young Master, that Grell's staff has already prepared breakfast."

"Oh." I try not to sound disappointed, but I'd really been looking forward to a delicious pastry. If my memories are correct, Sebastian sweets were the best I'd ever tasted in my past life.

Sebastian seems to know what I'm thinking, though. "If you'd like, Bo-chan, I shall prepare you a cake for after lunch."

I'm once again surprised at how this man is able to determine so easily what's on my mind. Not saying anything, I just study him, wondering why he's able to read me so easily when no one had ever been able to before, not that anyone really tried.

"I'll take my leave for now so you may dress in privacy." Sebastian bows with a small smile and leaves the room silently.

What was that? I turn to look at the mirror and glare at my flustered face. So what if he's seen me nude before? We're both male, so there's no reason to be embarrassed! In an even worse mood than I was earlier, I start the tedious routine of dressing myself and getting ready for the day. After I've finished running a brush through my hair, I grab a black jacket and pull it over my blue t-shirt, preparing for a cold autumn day. I finish tying my eye patch as I'm leaving my room.

I pause as in the middle of a step. Damn him! I forgot to ask him about this supposed war that's going on! But then again, if I ask him, he'll know that I was listening in on his conversation. And then he'll assume I'm spying on him and have a smart ass comeback ready. _'Bo-chan, if you had wanted to stare at my devilishly handsome features, you should've asked~'. _

"Arhg! He's so damn frustrating!" I complain to no one, walking down the corridor.

"You wouldn't be referring to me, would you?" A voice says from behind me.

I jump and turn around, eyes large. "Sebastian! How long have you been there? You've taken to stalking me now, have you?"

Sebastian rolls his eyes. "Honestly, Young Master. You always jump to such _absurd_ conclusions. I have just been to Trancy's room, but it seems he is not there at the moment. Neither is Grell, for that matter."

I let out an irritated noise. "They'll show up eventually. They're probably doing each other's hair or something silly like that. I'm hungry; lead me to the dining room, Sebastian."

"Yes, my Lord."

I follow Sebastian down the many hallways that twist and wind to the dining room. There, I see the food's already been laid out. How inconsiderate, since it could get cold by time Alois and that transvestite come back. I sit down nonetheless and pick at my food. It's very good, but I can't seem to really get into it.

"Bo-chan, is something bothering you?" Sebastian asks, concerned.

I turn my eyes to him and pause, wondering if I should ask him. "Sebastian…" I start out slowly. "If it's true that my soul belongs to you, what will you do once I regain my memories? Devour me?"

I look him dead in the eye, needing to know. For once, he looks stumped, staring at me stupidly. Once I regain my memories, my soul will be returned to its original state, and Sebastian will have no reason not to take it. Even though I'm terribly anxious to remember my past, I have to prepare myself that my life will most probably end straight after.

Remembering how my parents had been murdered, how I'd been raped and defiled by those _repulsive men_, how Sebastian had been the one to pull me out of the darkness… A demon, much less, had answered to my calls. Not God, not some blasted angel, but my own demon. _Sebastian. _Yes, I'd gladly give my soul to this man.

My thoughts seem to freeze. Where had that thought come from? I hadn't even realized Sebastian had saved me from those men, only knowing of the pain and humiliation I felt, thinking I was going to die. Could this have been how I'd felt all those years ago when I had been the Earl Phantomhive?

"Ciel~ Good morning!" Alois chirps happily, walking into the dining room wearing his booty shorts and a loose t-shirt that's hanging off one shoulder.

I cast a dark look at Sebastian, promising that we will finish this conversation later. He seems to understand and bows his head politely.

"Alois, where were you?" I ask in a bored manner, resting my head on my hands.

"The spa~ Grell invited me this morning," Alois explains, picking up an apple and pausing before taking a vicious chomps out of it. He seems content with the splatter of fruit juices and continues excitedly. "And he also gave me some of his new clothing that hasn't even been put on the shelves yet! Isn't that exciting?"

"Very," I drawl. "Much more exciting than the fact that we're going to retrieve our memories of our past life from a grim reaper today."

"Oh, that's right! I'd completely forgotten about that!" Alois laughs to himself and takes another bite out of the red apple. Why was everything red in this mansion, even the food? It's ridiculous. "The demon said we knew each other; I bet we were the _best_ of friends."

"It's possible…" I mutter, casting a glance in Sebastian's direction only to notice that he's preoccupied with cleaning the silverware. He'd know, although I already had a distinct feeling that Alois and I hadn't been 'best friends' back then. What that man― Claude― had said, still disturbs me. _'You haven't obtained Ciel Phantomhive yet'. _I look warily at Alois but I know that I can't judge him for anything he did two centuries ago that he can't even remember doing.

"Good morning~ Sebas-chan~" Grell coos as he walks saucily over to the man dressed in black. He tries to cuddle up to him but Sebastian holds him off with one arm.

"Grell, please refrain from touching me," Sebastian says politely and walks away to stand behind me. "When will we be leaving for the Shinigami Library?"

Grell raises an eyebrow. "That eager to end the boy's life, Sebas-chan?" He then shrugs. "It's not like I care; the sooner we get rid of him, the sooner I'll have you all-to-my-self~"

"When are we going?" Sebastian repeats, though his voice is a lot darker now.

"Now," Grell says as he leads the way out of the dining room, his long hair flying out behind him. He turns his head back, flashing a dangerous smile. "Let's go for a trip to the realm of DEATH~"

Alois claps excitedly and chases after the red reaper. Sebastian and I share a look before following after them together.

It was here. This was finally the moment where I'd regain my memories.

"Sebastian, you said that we're going to retrieve my 'Cinematic Records'. What are those?" I ask the demon, intrigued at how exactly I was supposed to remember my past life using these records.

"Cinematic Records are the complete records of a person's entire life. From what I know, the Shinigami obtain them by slashing the victim with their Death Scythes and then judge them by looking into their life. After that, they're stored in books and put into the Shinigami Library, which is where we are headed to," Sebastian explains.

"I see. So we'll retrieve the books and I'll be able to see my life in them," I conclude.

"That's the basic idea," Sebastian agrees as we walk outside of the mansion and back into the gardens.

Grell stops outside and his chainsaw materializes in his hands. I notice Sebastian is actually watching curiously, interested in how the Shinigami was going to get back to his own realm. Too quiet to comprehend what he's saying, Grell mumbles words in an unknown language before revving up his chainsaw. Then, he slices at the air in front of him. Thinking that it'd just travel through the air uselessly, I'm surprised that the chainsaw actually creates a large jagged crack in the air in front of us. It cracks even more and blinding white light spills through it. More and more pieces of the sky seem to peel off until there is a large, white pathway in front of us.

"Interesting. I've never seen how Shinigami travel between worlds before," Sebastian comments.

"Yep. Our Death Scythes can do more than just paint the world in a beautiful passionate red~ Though that's my favorite use for it." Grell goes to take a step towards the white path.

"Wait," I comment. Everyone looks at me curiously. "If we're going to some sacred Library or whatever that holds all these important records, isn't it going to be guarded?"

Grell stops and opens his mouth, and then closes it, a small frown appearing on his forehead. "It's possible…"

It's _possible?_ How lazy are these people if they don't even guard all their records properly.

Then, the red headed reaper shrugs. "There might be one or two people, but that won't be a problem. There's no way they can stop me _and_ Sebby. Besides, I doubt they'll even be alerted because there's been no forced entrance into our realm."

"Even so, stay close to me, Bo-chan," Sebastian murmurs and I'm aware that he's standing obscenely close to me.

I look up at him and mutter bitterly, "Yes, we wouldn't want anything to happen to your precious meal." Sebastian looks shocked by my tone, and he's not the only one. Maybe the fact that the only reason this man's helping me is because I'm just a tasty treat has finally registered in my mind. Even though I always knew he was after my soul, I can't help but feel slightly resentful that Sebastian wants to be rid of my presence so quickly. Though I shouldn't expect any better from a _demon._

"Bo-chan, that's not―" Sebastian starts but I cut him off, not wanting to hear any false comforting words.

"Whatever, Sebastian," I say and start my way to the portal. Grell sees this and walks confidently through.

Alois gives me a smile and grabs my hand. "C'mon, Ciel. Let's go!"

With that, he pulls me along behind him as he rushes towards the wall of white, Sebastian following closely behind.

For a moment, all is white. Then, slowly, a blue sky fades into view, along with sand colored mountains. Turning around, I'm stunned by the size of the grey building behind me. It's _enormous!_ I don't know how many stories it is but it seems to run on for _hundreds_ of meters. This place was all full of _Cinematic Records?_ Every single person's life that's ever lived, placed tidily in this building? I must say that I'm impressed. Looking over, I notice that Alois is awed as well. Grell and Sebastian, however, don't even bat an eye at it and continue on their path leading into the building.

The four of us walk through the doors and into the reception area. Behind the plain desk is a single Shinigami, looking over some papers. When he hears the doors open, he looks up, but quickly returns to his papers when he notices the red.

"Oh, Sutcliff. What's up?" calls the man from behind the desk with a small wave. This Shinigami was wearing a proper black suit and had glasses, like Grell.

"Nothing, I've just got to return some Cinematic Records," Grell says casually, walking towards a pair of doors to the right.

"Alright. The doors are open," the man says without looking up. That was easy. All four of us share glances before shrugging our shoulders and walking towards the door.

Suddenly, the man freezes and he seems to sniff the air. "Say, Sutcliff, does it smell weird…" His eyes trail over to us and he suddenly jumps up. "Shit!_ A demon_! What the hell is that thing doing here, Sutcliff?"

Grell sighs disappointedly. "And here I thought we weren't going to have any problems… Although I do enjoy a good fight― to the DEATH~" Grell strikes a pose, holding his chainsaw proudly while smiling crazily with his jagged teeth.

The other Shinigami takes a step back with wide eyes, trying to conceal his terror. "W-what? You're siding with that demon?" he asks in disbelieving horror. "In that case…" The man tries to put on a brave face and something that looks uncannily similar to a weed whacker materializes in his hands. Except, in stead of the plastic cords that are usually at the bottom, there's giant blades that spin deadly fast.

Sebastian pulls out a handful of silverware (some of which I've noticed that he must've stolen from Sutcliff's dining room this morning…) and grins sadistically, his eyes glowing red.

The Shinigami rushes forward towards Sebastian, swinging his weed whacker at his face. Sebastian dodges to the side and the Shinigami goes past him and practically runs straight into Grell's chainsaw. The Shinigami rapidly drops to the ground as the chainsaw whizzes past what would have been his throat a few seconds earlier. Unfortunately, he isn't fast enough for the well aimed kick from Grell and he flies into the wall, cracking it in the process. Before he could even fall to the ground, Sebastian throws eight well placed knives that impale his arms and his feet the wall. A scream escapes the Shinigami's throat and Sebastian is over there in the blink of the eye, throwing a punch at his face. The Shinigami's eyes shut and his head lolls down to his chest.

"Is he… dead?" I ask Sebastian, walking cautiously over the man impaled to the wall with cutlery.

"No. If I'd have killed him, it would've caused unnecessary problems for my kind," Sebastian explains calmly.

"Because then it would've made the Shinigami side against you in the war," I conclude.

Sebastian narrows his eyes. "It's not nice to eavesdrop, Bo-chan."

"Oh, shut up. It's not nice to go around stealing people's silverware and impaling others to walls, now is it?" I snap back.

Sebastian purses his lips as a thought passes his mind. "Were you spying on me last night, Bo-chan? And _you're_ the one who accused _me_ of being a stalker."

A blush passes over my face. "Shut up!" I splutter furiously. "I was not _spying_ on you!"

"It's okay, I understand. With my _devilishly _good looks, not even _you_ can resist," Sebastian says, while flipping his hair sexily.

"You…You _cocky_ son of a bitch! You're not attractive at all. In fact, you disgust me!" I exclaim.

Sebastian puts on a pouting look. "Bo-chan, that's really hurtful, you know."

"Good!" I snap, exasperated. "Sutcliff, lead the way!"

The Shinigami takes one look at the fire in my eyes and lets out an 'eep!' before hiding behind Sebastian.

"My Bo-chan is so cruel," Sebastian sighs sadly, but I can tell by the look in his eyes that this entire situation has amused him greatly.

Deciding that standing around was getting absolutely _nothing_ done, I stride into the library determinedly. My predictions from before were correct; this entire building was filled to the top with what I assume are Cinematic Records. They look like ordinary books, really.

"When was it when the brat died again?" Grell asks out loud, having recovered from his fright. "Late eighteen hundreds…"

Grell wanders down the path a little while away, looking up at the books, trying to find the year that I had died in.

"1889," Sebastian says. "The same year as Trancy."

Alois and I share interested looks. I knew how Alois had died, now, but I wonder if my death had been connected to his. If we really knew each other in our past lives, and even _died_ in the same year, it was very likely.

"Ah! I found it~" Grell exclaims happily, reaching up and pulling a book off of the shelf. Then, he wanders a little farther down the aisle to the 'T' section and tries to grab a second book, but it's up too high. "_Sebas-chaaan_, I can't reach it~" Grell complains, jumping up to try and reach the book.

Sebastian sighs and walks over to the reaper. He puts his hands together and holds them out for Grell to use as a step. Unfortunately, he forgot the flamboyant Shinigami had a thing for high heeled shoes and they dug relentlessly into his hands as Grell managed to obtain a second book full of Cinematic Records. They walk back over to where Alois and I are standing.

"Wait, we don't actually have to _read_ this thing, do we?" Alois asks, panicked. Oh yes, I almost forgot. Alois avoids books like fangirls avoid hetero, or so I've heard from him. I don't think he's ever finished a book in his life, unless it was full of pictures of course, usually just opting for copying information from friends.

"No." Grell shakes his head. "You could if you wanted, but the Cinematic Records are like watching a video, really. You just have to open the book."

I look up at Sebastian and he gives me a reassuring smile. My breathing has picked up slightly and I'm terribly nervous but excited. Turning my head to Alois, we both nod, and I can tell Alois feels just like I do. Taking a deep breath, I open my book the exact same time Alois does.

White reels of what looks like film shoots out from the books. "What―" I try to gasp out but the film hits me and everything goes black.

* * *

><p><em>Memories of my mother and father hit me. The happiness I felt to be with them and Lizzie, my beloved cousin. My dog Sebastian was jumping excitedly beside us and Aunt Ann showed up, gushing over us. Our laughter was the only thing you can hear.<em>

_More memories of my childhood. Lizzie and I were playing with a boat set. _

_Today's my birthday. I'm terribly excited; mother said she'd read me a story and that I can sleep in her bed tonight; it'll be a treat! Suddenly, I smell smoke. _

"_Mother? Father?" I call out, running down the halls, looking for my parents. "Mommy, where are you?" _

_Spotting their room, I quickly open the door to check. Fire greets me and the heat is unbearable. I can see a form sitting in a large chair, the Phantomhive ring gleaming on its thumb. On the ground, lying motionlessly, is my mother. _

"_No," I gasp, not comprehending the scene. "No…Somebody, please help! Mother― Father―"_

_I choke on the smoke as I run out of the room, looking desperately for someone to help. Bumping into someone, I look up with tearful eyes._

"_Oh! Mr. Tanaka, you've got to―" I start but he cuts me off._

"_Young Master Ciel, you must run!" he says desperately. _

"_What? But Mother―" _

"_Run," he gasps out as he falls to the ground. For the first time, I notice the blood that's soaked through his shirt. _

"_M-Mister Tanaka?" I say shakily, my childlike eyes wide with terror. Turning around, I try to run, but a strong pair of arms wrap around me. "No!" I scream, trying to break free, but it's no use. I bite the arm and I'm let go while the man curses. Then, there's an agonizing pain as something hits me in the back of the head._

_After that, nothing. _

_I've awakened inside a cage. How long have I been here? There are kids all around me, some begging to be let free, others just lying around, looking dead. Every once in a while, one is taken out of the cage. The rest of us turn our heads from the scene and try desperately to block out the screams. I'm horrified by what they're doing to all these children. Luckily, I haven't been touched yet. That said, looking around at all the filthy youth around me, it's hard to have hope. But I will! I must stay strong and believe that God will protect me. Mother and Father always say that God is watching over us, protecting our souls and that if we pray every night and be good that we'll be able to go to Heaven with the rest of the angels. So that's what I'll do. I'll pray not only for me, but all the rest of the children in this cage. God will save us; I'm sure of it. _

_When they take me out of the cage though, it's hard to remain strong as the terror runs through me. I fight against the hands with a defiant look on my face, not going to give up so easily. The men with the masks just chuckle, though, and pull me out forcefully. _

"_Look, it's the young Earl Phantomhive," people call out excitedly. I look around at all the horrible people watching eagerly. _

"_P-put me down," I try to say. "When Mother and Father find―"_

_They laugh. "Silly boy― your Mother and Father are dead." _

"_What?" I gasp out. I knew they were hurt, but they could be helped, couldn't they? _

_They throw me onto the hard cold slab and I fight and kick against them as they get closer. Getting annoyed with my attitude, they slap me and hit me back. I cry out against the hard hits, not used to such punishment, though I don't give up. I must stay strong for Mother and Father. They tie my hands to the post and I start to panic more than fight back. What were they going to do? Were they going to hit me more and just didn't want me fighting back? There wasn't anything worse they could do than beating me!_

_How innocently wrong I was. My screams echo through the chamber. The pain I feel is like no other. It's an unbearable, searing hot pain as the man tears into me. Eventually, my throat is so raw from the screaming that I can't utter a single noise as the man continues to violate me. My anguished tears mix into the blood that trails down my face. It hurts; everything hurts _so badly_. _

_After what feels like an eternity, they roughly throw me back into the cage. I can't even move, so I just lie there, sobbing silently. The other children ignore my presence. When the pain fades slightly and the shock has warn off ever so slightly, I crawl up painfully and sit against the bars in the corner. I wince when I sit, my backside still tremendously sore. Trying to take a deep breath, I close my eyes and pray. I pray to Mother and Father and Lizzie and Mr. Tanaka and anyone that I care about. I pray to God to save me from this dreadful Hell so that I can see my family's smiling face again, if only for one more time. Please, God, just one more time, let me see their happy face and maybe all of this can be drowned out by their smiles. _

_Every chance I could, I prayed. Nothing ever changed. The beatings progressed and I was raped multiple times again. Then, one day, they tie me to the table without beating me. I look up, confused, but know better than to hope they'd had a change of heart. There, glowing a bright orange red, is a metal pole with some sort of design on it. No… they couldn't. I knew what that was. They did the same thing to cattle to mark which farm the belonged to. No! I fight desperately against the binds trying to inch away from the burning symbol. My eyes are filled with absolute terror and I'm barely aware of the tears that are already dripping down my face, dreading the pain that was about to fill my body. _

"_I shall brand you with the mark of the noble beast."_

_It's pressed below my chest, against my left rib. The scream that escapes my throat is the most tortured one yet as I know nothing but pain now. Every fiber in my body cries out as the searing metal is held there. Before too long, I pass out from the sheer unbearable pain. Everything is silent for a beautiful moment and I can only hope that this is a terrible nightmare and that I'll wake up crying in my mother's arms. _

_My hopes are trashed as I wake up once again in the cage. With hollow eyes, I stare at nothing. Below my chest, I'm aware of a terrible burning where the mark must be, but I mostly feel numb. I've prayed every day and have tried my best to stay strong, but nothing's changed. It's only gotten worse. No one's coming to save me._

_When they notice I'm awake again, they reach out and grab me. I find it hard to struggle against them. This is it. I'm going to die. I'm destined to remain in this Hell until I'm a rotting corps inside the cage. It's all over because THERE IS NO GOD. _

_Suddenly, black shadows swarm all over, piling up behind me. _

"_Oh?" A surprised, velvety voice says from behind me. In the mass of shadows are glowing red eyes, the color of the blood that drenches me. "Well, well. What a tiny master this is. You have summoned me. That fact will not change for all eternity…" The shadows ripple and I stare in wonder at the being. "And the sacrifice that has been made will never return. Now," a dangerous smile with sharp teeth appears in the shadows. "Make your choice!" _

"_This is an order_!" _I shout, my mind made up. If this being is willing to help me, then I will gladly grasp onto this thread and _drag these despicable people down to Hell with me. "_KILL THEM ALL!"_

"_Yes, _my Lord_," the demon chuckles and rushes forward, ripping people to shreds. Blood splatters all over the walls, the ground and myself. However, I look on with indifference. These horrible people were all going to die, suffer for what they've done do me. Their screams echo through the chamber just as mine did. _

_I remember the contract Sebastian and I made and how I vowed to have my revenge against those people. Sebastian became my butler to serve me until I had completed my goal. _

_The years passed with me doing my duty as the Queen's Watchdog and running the Funtom company. There's many disasters brewed up by my clumsy maid, energetic gardener and idiotic cook, not to mention frequent visits from my naively innocent cousin. _

_Then there was the Jack the Ripper case. Prostitutes on the streets of London were being killed, their uteruses removed (information provided by that laugh-a-holic, Undertaker). Sebastian and I deduced that it must be the Viscount of Druitt. In order to get into the party, I'd been dressed as a girl. The embarrassment still haunts me. Not only did Aunt Ann come with us, but her butler, Grell Sutcliff, and the opium obsessed Lau and RanMao. Eventually, Sebastian and I managed to apprehend the Viscount. To my amazement, the killings of Jack the Ripper continued though. _

_It was Aunt Ann. She was Jack the Ripper, along with Grell Sutcliff. The way she looked at me with such crazed rage… But she couldn't do it. She couldn't kill me. _

"_This child is my―" Madame Red starts to say, tears streaking down her face as she looks at her accomplice. _

_Grell's peeved and plunges his chainsaw into her chess. "I'm so disappointed in you, Madame Red. I can't say I care a shred for this plain woman you've become." _

_I stare as my Aunt falls to the ground, Cinematic Records spilling out of her. It saddens me greatly to see her dead, she was my dear Auntie. However, she can't be forgiven for murdering all those women. This is goodbye, Madame Red. _

_Grell goes to leave. I look up. "_Sebastian_ . _What are you doing? _I ordered you to 'hunt Jack the Ripper'. It's not over yet." I give my butler a stern look. "So don't stand around twiddling your thumbs. Hunt down the last one."_

_Sebastian's confused and surprised looks fades into a pleased smirk. "Yes, my Lord." _

_The Shinigami and the Demon had battled viciously, Grell swinging his chainsaw and Sebastian throwing his silverware. It looked as if Sebastian was about to finish off Grell, when suddenly a long, metal contraption flew forward and intercepted the final blow. _

_William T. Spears, Grell's associate from work, had come to save the Shinigami. And thus ended the reign of Jack the Ripper._

_I remember Madame Red's funeral and saying good bye to her a final time while covering her with a passionate red dress. _

_Next was the whole ridiculous scenario where Sebastian had been forced to create the world's greatest curry to win a competition against Soma's servant, Agni and his 'right hand of God'. _

_Soon after that event, Sebastian and I had been invited to Noah's Circus. There, we actually became members of the crew so we could investigate closer. That led to the disgusting events at the Kelvin manor and that psycho who was using the bones of the dead children to create artificial limbs. Sebastian and I discovered a recreated scene of the month I had spent in captivity. I ordered to Sebastian to burn the whole manor down, the children and everything included. _

"_How much strength do you think the children would have needed to come back from a condition like that? Back then I accidently summoned a demon so I received the power to come back. However, at the Kelvin manor the only demon was you…and that demon is _mine_." I had explained to Sebastian when he had questioned my motives._

_I remember faking Sebastian's death in the murder scenario we set up at my mansion to imprison that man. Even though I had known it was fake, the sight of Sebastian lying on the ground with empty eyes and covered in blood had chilled me. Then, Snake, a former member of the circus, had been added to my pawns as a footman._

_Snake, Sebastian and myself then boarded a cruise with Lizzie's family, looking for clues about a mysterious doctor who could bring the dead back to life. We found him. And about ten thousand zombies crawling around, slaughtering people left, right, and center. As if it couldn't get worse, we also met up with Grell, his subordinate Ronald Knox, Undertaker and _the Viscount of Druitt._ Instead of selling children this time, he had decided he was going to rule an empire by having the power to bring people back to life. _

_Finally, there was the angel Ash― or Angela, whichever you prefer. When Sebastian had finally gotten rid of her― it― I was sure that was the end. My revenge was complete and Sebastian was about to devour my soul. Everything went black. _

_And then I awoke again. Clearly, I had been missing memories at this time too. Then I meet Alois for the first time, and his butler, Claude Faustus. They seemed determined to kill me. After inviting Sebastian and myself over, my butler and Alois' got into a fight. Deciding this was a good distraction for the demons, Alois and I left the balcony and ended up inside the manor. We dueled with swords. As Alois was about to kill me, I grabbed onto the blade and managed to slash Alois' side. Before I could kill him, Claude had intercepted and Sebastian and I took our leave. _

_I was the one who had killed Alois. It was me who had sliced his side open and left him to bleed to death. _

_Once Sebastian and I had returned to the manor, we went out to the garden. Suddenly, a giant pentagram had formed beneath us. I glanced at Sebastian with a questioning look, but he just pulled me against him tightly as flames surrounded us in a circle. When they died down, we were in some sort of cave. There was another demon there. Sebastian and him got into a fight because Sebastian wouldn't share me with the other demon. I had been worried when Sebastian had been crushed against the wall by the giant boulder. Unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough to dodge the sword that the other demon had launched at me with demonic strength. It pierced me. Looking up, I saw Sebastian standing in front of me, the sword having gone completely through his own body and hitting mine. He looked completely horrified. I pulled the sword out and my mind went hazy. I fell to the ground and Sebastian caught me. Looking up at his eyes, I want to tell him that he should take my soul. After everything that I've put him through, he should have it because he sure as hell deserved it. I knew I was dying, and I wanted to tell him, but I could only utter his name before slipping into the darkness for a final time. _

* * *

><p><em>~3<em>_rd__ Person POV~_

Sebastian watches as the Cinematic Records fly forth from the book and into his Bo-chan. Ciel's eyes shut as they hit him and his body falls forward. Gracefully, Sebastian rushes forward and catches his body. There's slight worry on his face as he looks down at his Young Master. Over to the side, Alois Trancy's body falls over as well, the same thing having happened to him.

"Grell, were the Records supposed to go _inside_ of them?" Sebastian asks, carrying Ciel.

"I'm not sure. This has never happened before. Not once has a human whose been reincarnated recovered their Cinematic Records," Grell says as he picks up Alois body and lies it down on the bench. "But now that were both alone~ we_―_"

Sebastian gives him a harsh look. "No."

He turns his face back towards his Bo-chan, studying his features. This boy looks like a mirror image of the boy he knew one hundred and twenty-one years ago, and now that he had his memories, they _would_ be the same. Sebastian truly can't believe it. After all these years he had his Bo-chan back. How many times had Ciel's soul escaped him? After he'd died back in that cavern, Sebastian was sure he'd never see him again, but the fates seem to be on his side, he supposes.

The demon leans in and inhales, the scent of his soul sending shivers of pleasure through him. Oh, he smells so delectable! Sebastian couldn't wait to taste him; but he had to. So Sebastian stood there, waiting patiently.

Grell, on the other hand, was bored out of his mind. He was tapping his polished finger nails _im_patiently against the railing, making an irritating clicking noise. Then, he started fidgeting with his hair and clothes. Soon, Grell was twitching. Honestly, what cruel God what put him in the same room as Sebastian and not even allow him to touch him. Or kiss him. Or fantasize_― _oh wait, he could do that. _But it'd be so much better if he could have the real thing._

"Sebas-chaaan~" Grell drawls out. "How 'bout that kiss that you owe me?"

"Not until I'm sure Bo-chan has his memories back," Sebastian says, not even paying a look to the Shinigami.

Grell stomps his foot and pouts. "But I'm bored! Ignore the brat while he's fricking _unconscious_ and come '_entertain'_ me," Grell says sexily, walking over and clutching onto Sebastian's arm.

"No. Go away," Sebastian snaps, shaking him off.

"But I want your babies~" Grell pouts.

Sebastian's eyes widen with disgust. He sets his Bo-chan against the railing and walks back over to Grell, trying to keep a calm composure.

"Fine. I am going to 'entertain' you with a lesson on why you can't have babies, Grell, because you obviously failed biology," Sebastian says as he rips a page out of Alois' book.

"Umm, I don't think you're supposed to do that Sebby," Grell says nervously. "I think you just ripped a day out of his life."

"That's why I used Trancy's book," Sebastian says as if it's the most obvious thing. He then cuts his finger using a pointed nail and draws with blood on the paper a female sex sign and a male sex sign. Sebastian writes an equal sign and beside is the word 'baby'. "To have a child, there must be one male and one female." After that, he writes 'Grell = male' and 'Sebastian = male'.

"Ah, but you're forgetting, Sebas-chan, that I am a lady at heart," says Grell smartly.

Sebastian runs a hand over his face in frustration. "That's great, Grell. If you wish to be a transvestite, I've got no problem with that. However, even if you are a lady at heart, you must also be a lady _physically_ to bear a child. As you can see, we are both male, thus cannot conceive a child even if we wanted to."

"So what you're saying is… that you want one too, but we can't because…" a confused look crosses over Grell's face. He knows he's a lady, but Sebas-chan keeps suggesting that physically, he's male. "I don't have a female body?"

Sebastian sure as Hell did _not_ want a child, but he was so close to getting Grell to finally realizing why it's impossible for him to have a child. "Exactly."

Grell slaps his fist against his palm in realization. "So if I get a sex change then we can have our baby, Sebas-chan?"

_Is he a fucking moron?_ Sebastian wants to say that aloud but he has more manners. "You cannot change your internal organs, Grell. Now listen to me," Sebastian says slowly, "_you will never be able to conceive a child._"

"That's just stupid, Sebas-chan. Your logic makes no sense at all. First you say you have to have a female body, and then when I suggest changing my body, you say it _still_ won't work." Grell glares at him. "If you didn't want to have a baby with me, then you should've just said so instead of leading a lady like me on!"

Sebastian is practically shaking with rage and he quietly over to pick up his Bo-chan. Then, he walks far,_ far_ away from Grell.

"Bo-chan, please wake up so I can escape from this gender confused idiot," Sebastian murmurs to his Young Master. To his surprise, he _does_.

Ciel opens his oceanic blue eyes to see Sebastian.

* * *

><p>"…Sebastian?" I whisper as I look up into the crimson eyes of my butler. Clutching onto his jacket, I rest my face on his chest, trying to sort through the flurry of memories that had just hit me. The thirteen years of my life just flashed by in a matter of minutes (I think, though I'm not sure how long I was out) and it's almost overwhelming, all the different emotions I feel. I take a moment to recollect my thoughts before telling Sebastian, "Put me down. I can stand on my own."<p>

He does as I say. Though I don't really feel different, all the missing pieces of my past life have been filled and the puzzle is complete. Looking up at Sebastian, the doubt in my mind from before has been eradicated. There's no one I could ever trust more than this demon and I'm glad I remember that. I raise my hand to my contracted eye, brushing my fingers over the material of the eye patch.

"Bo-chan, do you remember everything?" Sebastian asks, concerned.

I nod my head. "Yes. I can feel the hatred for those people who killed my parents and defiled me more than ever, as if it had happened today. But they're all long dead by now, their corps' already having rotted down into the earth a hundred years ago."

My eyes flicker over to a bench a little further off and I see a blond lying there. My eyebrows bunch together. Alois… Why hasn't he woken up yet? I walk briskly over to where my friend is still sleeping. "Grell, why hasn't he woken up yet?"

Grell looks over from his sulking and stares at Alois' form. "He _is_ a year older. He'll have a whole other year to remember than you did." I'm stumped by Grell's logic. Who knew he could actually come up with a reasonable explanation? "Or maybe he's waiting for his true love's kiss~? It's just like Sleeping Beauty or Snow White― though I'd prefer Red. Lying there, waiting for my Will~…" Grell sighs dreamily, his eyes clouding over as he fantasizes about being Snow Red.

Ah. There's the Grell I know and hate.

I'm distracted from my thoughts as Alois' eyes open. He sits up on the bench and when he sees me, tears well up in his eyes.

"Ciel," he sobs and jumps into my arms, burying his face in my neck. "I'm so sorry. I was so horrible to you, but you didn't deserve any of it. It wasn't your fault. You were just like me; you had lost everything as well. I-I'm sorry for everything I did to you."

I'm stunned at the crying blond on me. Cautiously, I hug him back. "Alois, I killed you. It's my fault you died. You shouldn't be apologizing to me."

Alois shakes his head and pulls away. "No, no. You acted like that because I provoked you. It's my fault that you hated me. Besides, I almost killed you as well. But you know I'd never hurt you ever anymore, right?"

I sigh. "Of course I know that, Alois. Just as you don't blame me, I can't blame you for what you did in your past life. Things have changed since then."

A smile makes its way onto Alois' lips as the tears dry. Suddenly, I fall forward. Alois catches me before Sebastian can.

Men dressed in black suits with green eyes and glasses.

"Ciel?" he asks worriedly.

I stand up with a dumbfounded face. "Did we _honestly_ just leave that other Shinigami impaled to the wall? How long has it been since we came inside the library?"

"Twenty-three minutes," Sebastian says.

"We're so stupid," I snarl. "I can't believe we just left that guy there, for twenty minutes much less. And in the main lobby. They're coming, the Shinigami."

Sebastian looks doubtful of how that'll cause too much of a problem. "So we'll leave. Grell can put the books back and I'll hold off the Shinigami until he opens another portal."

"Yes, but let's hurry. There's a lot and they look powerful. Even demons can die at the hands of their Death Scythes," I remind him with harsh eyes, the battle with Madame Red still fresh in my mind.

Before we can move, though, the doors slam open. Everyone tenses in preparation for battle until―

"_Will!_" Grell cries out excitedly, launching himself onto the stoic reaper. "Oh, Will~ Where have you been? Sebas-chan was sooo _mean_ to me! You should―"

"_What have you done?"_ Will hisses, his eyes burning.

Grell takes a surprised step back at the venom in his voice. "Will?" he says uncertainly.

"Not only have you attacked your own kind," Will's eyes travel over Sebastian and the rest of us, "but you even brought a _demon_ in here again and gave him the Cinematic Records that you stole! Do you have any idea just _how_ wrong that is? If the Board ever learns of this, and at a time like this especially, you will be _exiled_ from here immediately, Sutcliff."

From what I know, William T. Spears never lost his emotions, always keeping a cold but calm front. To have him raise his voice, Will must be absolutely furious.

"But I didn't even steal the Records! I was going to put them back right now!" Grell exclaimed with wide, frightful eyes. Apparently, the threat of being exiled from here was a very great matter.

"That won't matter to them. You still gave them to a demon, and for all they know, it was to help him with the war. You've never been on their good side before, Sutcliff, and they'll be more than eager to have an excuse to banish you," Will says, his calm demeanor returning after his initial blow up. His eyes still show that he's livid, though. "They are coming down now. As much as I hate helping you despicable demons, it can't be helped. Sutcliff, open another pathway back to the human realm and deposit those three. Then return _directly_ and _immediately _to my office. Understood?"

"Will…" Grell whispers, having never seen his superior _this_ mad. However, Grell nods and grabs the books with the now empty Records and fumbles to put them back on the shelves. Once he's done, he joins us and slices open a new portal the human realm. Without another look back, we all run through it.

* * *

><p>~3rd Person POV~<p>

Will watches as the group of four rush through the path. Once they make it through, Will himself, rushes down the hall, making an exception to run instead of his usual calm walk. Reaching a special section in the corner, he reaches out and grabs the Cinematic Record book of Lance Daniele. Taking out a crisp book mark from his pocket, Will opens the book and places it in.

Much to the surprise of most, Shinigami's Cinematic Records don't stop when they die and are reborn as a reaper. They still have the same soul as they did when they were human, and thus the same book.

Despite knowing how wrong this is, Will takes out a special quill pen as well and starts writing carefully in it, copying the style of handwriting already there rapidly. '_When questioned by the Board and others, Lance thinks at first that the man he saw dressed in red was Grell Sutcliff, but then realizes it was another demon in disguise to try and get past the security. The demon's accomplice was none other than Sebastian Michaelis, who Grell speaks of often.'_

Will doesn't understand why he's going out of his way to protect Sutcliff, but he feels like he should. He owes him after he saved his life during the final exam at the Shinig'academy, though. Now, they were even. Yes. Satisfied with his reasoning, Will slides the book back into place.

Still, this was putting his own neck very much at risk as well. Covering up what Grell did and even manipulating how another Shinigami will act must be even worse than the crime Grell committed. If anyone ever finds out what they've done, they will both be exiled for sure.

Will then returns to the main entrance and see's Lance Daniele's body still hanging up by Michaelis' trademark silverware. That damn demon. What was Sutcliff doing hanging around him again? It's been over one hundred years since they last confronted Michaelis, so Will was honestly surprised to see him again.

The front doors open and there's gasps of shock. Will turns around and bows respectively to his superiors.

"Spears! What has happened?" asks the Head of the Board, Lucas Dresdner. He's a large man with piercing eyes and pitch black hair, despite being his age.

"Mr. Dresdner, it seems a demon managed to break into the Library," Will says emotionlessly. "I had been on my way to return some files when I saw Mr. Daniele impaled to the wall. Going to investigate, I noticed that it was too late and the demon must've already escaped. Please accept my greatest condolences for not being able to do anything else, I have just only arrived."

"No, you did as much as you could've in this situation, Spears," Dresdner says forcefully. Then he says with distaste, "Yes, it reeks like demon in here. Help me get Daniele off of the wall."

Will nods his head and carefully pulls out the cutlery from the other Shinigami. Daniele hisses from the pain and he awakens. He's then deposited in a chair.

"Mr. Daniele, what happened?" Dresdner demands.

"Umm…" Daniele runs a hand through his hair, trying to remember what exactly had happened. "Four people had walked in. There was a tall man dressed in a black uniform and two younger boys, one with blue grey hair and the other was a blond. The first person I saw, though, was Grell Sutcliff." He pauses uncertainly. "At least, I _thought_ it was Sutcliff. It looked _similar_ to him, but I'm pretty sure there was something off. His face looked a little different and the way he acted seemed forced. The tall man reminds me of someone though. That demon that Sutcliff always talks about…"

"Sebastian Michaelis," Josh Zachary informs, but there's a dangerous tone to his voice. Zachary was a stern man with shoulder length, auburn hair. He was one of the most feared Shinigami's because he was so deadly cold and wouldn't give a damn slaughtering another if they gave him reason to.

Daniele's eyes widen. "Yeah, him! He was definitely there with that Sutcliff look alike. At first I only saw Sutcliff, so I didn't expect anything when he said he was just returning some Cinematic Records. I should've realized then that something was wrong. Sutcliff actually filling out reports? That's just ridiculous," Daniele mutters, depressed how he had never realized before that the man had actually been an imposter.

"It _had_ to be Sutcliff," Zachary says forcefully. "How else would they have gotten into our realm? Not to mention that the fact that Sebastian Michaelis was with him should be proof in itself."

Everyone looks like they were agreeing with him, but Will buts in. "That's not possible. Sutcliff was with me before I came to return my records. In fact, he's probably still in my office at this moment. The man who broke in here had to have been a copycat. It wouldn't be that hard to mirror Sutcliff; all you'd need to do was dress in an obscene amount of red and act like a gender confused idiot."

Dresdner nods, believing Will. William T. Spears was one of his hardest working men and most trust worthy, especially when the matter came down to demons. He seemed to have a personal vendetta for them.

"Yes, and there are ways for demons to enter this realm. If Spears says Sutcliff was with him, then I believe him. We have seen over the years how trustworthy he is," Dresdner says.

"Thank you, Sir." Will bows respectfully once again.

"I think we should make sure of it, though, by checking with Sutcliff immediately," Zachary demands, sending a glare at Will. Will returns it tenfold.

"That's fine with me. Let's return to my office, then," Will states, leading the way. Dresdner, Zachary and a few other Shinigami follow to verify Will's story. Will can only pray that Grell hadn't wasted any time and had actually listened to him for once.

They arrive a few minutes later outside of Will's office. Zachary has a smug smirk, like he's sure Sutcliff wouldn't be there. Taking a silent breath, Will opens the door.

"Will~" Grell exclaims from his lounged spot on Will's chair. "What took you so long~ It's not nice to keep a lady waiting! Hunh?" Grell notices the other Shinigami and a slight streak of fear passes through him. Will wouldn't _actually _tell on him, would he?

"As you can see, Sutcliff has been here this whole time," Will says, staring Grell directly in the eyes, trying to convey to him to play along.

"Is that true, Sutcliff? Have you been here all this time with Spears?" Dresdner asks, looking for signs the Grell was lying.

"But of course! Why would I spend my time _not_ being around Will, when I _could_ spend my time being around him~ That's just not logical." Grell puts on a curious face. "But why do you ask? Has something happened?"

"Mr. Daniele has been attacked. He thought he saw you there, but it turns out it was someone pretending to be you. Although Daniele said the doppelganger looked similar to you, he said the face was a little off or something," Dresdner explains.

Grell's eyebrow twitches. "Did he now?" he growls out, but quickly recovers. "How dare someone go around and pretend to be me! They probably weren't even wearing any make up! Oh, I'm so _embarrassed_~ I hope no one else saw that bastard!" Grell cries out dramatically, squiggling around in anger.

"Sutcliff, please be serious for a moment," Dresdner snaps. Will is impressed, to say the least. Grell _did_ say he was a great actress. After all, he has completely fooled their boss. "Apparently, Sebastian Michaelis was also there, do you―"

Grell's eyes widen. "My Sebas-chan was there too? Oh that's even _more_ terrible~" Grell whines. "If I _ever_ see that imposter I'm going to carve him into a crimson rose of DEATH~!"

"Ah, you do that, Sutcliff," Dresdner says, having had enough of the annoying red head. "Let's go. It's clear that Mr. Sutcliff had no prior knowledge to the event so the only conclusion is that there was an imposter. Our main cause for concern is that demon, Michaelis. Let's raise our defenses and it anyone sees him…"

The door shuts as they leave and cuts of Dresdner's voice, but not before Zachary shoots Will one last dangerous look.

Will restrains the urge to chuckle darkly. Instead, a tiny, almost inexistent smirk crosses his face as he pushes up his glasses. Let's see Michaelis get out of this situation.

* * *

><p><strong>So what do you guys think? Sorry if there's any mistakes, I've been speed reading through it to check and I wrote a lot of it super early in the morning yesterday, so hopefully there isn't any huge mistakes or something. Please leave a review if you have time; it'll be like a welcome home gift when I get back haha ^^ Thanks for reading you guys, you're the best! I hope this chapter has pleased you<strong>


	8. Return, Fearing of a Prophecy and Death

**Hello everybody! It's been a while, hasn't it ^^; I'm so sorry about the delay in this chapter but as I said I was on a trip and I've been pretty busy! Though I hope the size of the chapters make up for it. My last one was almost double what I usually write and this one is also longer than usual, so there! ^^ I can't believe it's been like 2 months since I started this *hugs* thnx for sticking with it and reading you guys! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as well!**

**Warnings*Mature language, sexual scenes, Yaoi, a couple OCs :( , gore, spoilers for whole manga/anime**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji, Yana Toboso does. **

* * *

><p>Once we had stepped through the blinding light, we found ourselves once again at Grell's mansion. It looks as if Grell is about to open another portal when a thought hits him.<p>

"Wait a minute, wait a minute!" Grell says with exaggerated hand motions. Then he turns with an accusatory look to Sebastian. "You still owe me that kiss!"

"Grell, didn't Spears say you had to return to his office _immediately_?" I remind him. "If you don't, who knows what'll happen? Your precious _Will_ might get in trouble if you're not there."

Grell's eyes grow large at that thought, but he casts a dismayed look at Sebastian. "But―"

"Go!" I snap at him.

He frowns but does open another passageway into the Shinigami realm. "I _will_ get my kiss, _Sebas-chan~_" Grell threatens as he jumps into the white light.

Sebastian lets out a relieved sigh as the redheaded Shinigami disappears. The rest of us stand there for a moment, the atmosphere slightly awkward.

"Hey, Ciel," Alois says after a moment. "Can I see that picture of Claude you did yesterday?"

I blink. "Uh, yeah. It's in my room, I'll show you where."

Alois and I make our way to my room. Was it really only yesterday that I had no clue who Claude was? Twenty-four hours ago, I had been driving illegally to Sutcliff's mansion in excitement to remember my past life. Now that I remember it… Do I feel relieved? Saddened? I'm not sure. I'm glad I remember everything that had happened, but what was the purpose of it? Why have I been reincarnated, only to realize that soon I will be gone forever? Sebastian will devour my soul and that will be that. So I must ask again: why? There isn't anything I have left to fight for. My goal from my past life is complete and my revenge dealt with.

When we get to my room, I find the canvas lying on the floor from when I had thrown it last night in disgust. It had Claude that _truly _killed Alois, but I had been the ultimate cause. If it were not for my stabbing Alois, he would not have been so gravely injured. And if it were not for my blood which is seemingly so delicious― No, I'm being childish, agonizing over the past. I could put the blame on anyone: Sebastian, for not protecting me and allowing me to get cut, Alois for ever chasing after me, even the people who defiled me that month, causing me to get mixed up in all this supernatural business. The past is the past and cannot be changed, just as what has been sacrificed can never return.

That brings up an interesting point. Sebastian had said that the day we met, meaning that the dead can not be brought back to life and the past remains the past. But Alois and I have been reincarnated. Does that mean that others…?

I have so many questions still that need to be answered. I am not ready to die just yet.

Alois takes the canvas from me and stares at it with mixed emotions, though I can see the great sadness in his eyes.

"Alois…" I start, but know not what to say.

Alois looks up and gives me a sad smile. I'm surprised to see the tears in his eyes though. "I just need to be alone for a little while, Ciel. Do you mind if I keep this…?"

I shake my head no. Why would anyone want a picture of that creep? Though, I suppose he does have some sentimental value to Alois. I watch as he leaves with the painting and cast a glance over the others around my room. Lizzie, Sutcliff, Tanaka, Sebastian… My eye catches on the blue portfolio I had made. Deciding that I should have one last look through it, I grab it and some pencils and place them in a shoulder bag.

I walk out into the yard and squint my eyes at the sun shining brightly in midday. It's too bright, so I sit under one of the many autumn colored trees. Flipping through some of the drawings I've made, I frown in confusion. Most of the people I can now remember. However, there's a couple in here that I can't recall ever meeting. Who are these people? Then I remember the murders that happened recently and how I had had dreams of those who had died, or almost died. Maybe these were some of them? I had left before they had finished releasing all the pictures of the victims, so it's possible. Probable, in fact. I shouldn't be worrying about them.

Taking out a fresh sheet of paper, I stare blankly at it. I can't figure out what I want to draw. Now that I remember my past, I have no desire of drawing the people who were mysteries to me. Randomly letting the pencil draw out shapes on the paper, my thoughts drift to the war I've heard mentioned. A war between Demons and Angels and maybe even Shinigami as well. How bizarre. A worrying thought strikes me. The human realm will surely be affected in this war as well, but what are mere humans supposed to do surrounded by hundreds of supernatural creatures? They will be massacred on the side lines. Then again, what does this matter to me? I won't even be alive to witness it.

I look down and tilt my head curiously at the forms. It looks like angel wings, mostly likely drawn from my subconscious as I was thinking about this war. Deciding to define them more, I do light pencil strokes over the paper, creating feathery wings. Then I draw out a flowing robe. This is most definitely an angel. I can now see the start of the image pulling together. The hair is dark with wavy locks.

"What are you drawing, Bo-chan?" Sebastian asks with a curious voice.

I jump slightly, pulled out of my trance. Closing my portfolio and the drawing, I look up at Sebastian. "What do you care?"

"You've been able to predict the future using your drawings, Bo-chan. It's very interesting, if not fascinating," Sebastian says simply.

I look away. "I was drawing an angel. I don't know who it is; you interrupted me before I could get to that."

"My apologies," Sebastian says, putting on an apologetic front.

I get up and put the blue binder back in my shoulder bag. "Sebastian, what happened back then?" I ask as I step closer to him, looking him directly in the eye. "Why did you never devour my soul that day at the island?"

A dark look passes over his face. "A spider came and tried to steal that which did not belong to him."

"Claude," I figure. Alois was the Queen's Spider and Claude was a demon, that which feeds off of souls. It was after that day on the island that I awoke and the whole Trancy event happened.

"Yes," Sebastian says.

"But now you have the chance to take my soul again," I speak quietly, looking away slightly.

"Bo-chan?" Sebastian asks, uncertain of my tone.

"Back then, I was ready to die. My goal was complete and my purpose in life was over. But now, there are so many questions that need answers. Even with my memories, there are things that still don't fit," I ponder out loud.

Sebastian gives me a hesitant look. "Young Master, you're not thinking of backing out of our deal?"

"Of course not, Sebastian!" I snap, giving him a furious look. Then I calm down. "No, you more than deserve to take my soul. It's just… I have to wonder why? Why have I been reincarnated, Sebastian?"

"… I do not know, Bo-chan," Sebastian says and stands in front of me, his hand tracing over the eye patch covering my right eye. "Perhaps it has something to do with this? Somehow, our contract is still valid even after all these years."

"So I have been born again for the sole purpose of a demon regaining his meal?" I snort in incredulity. "That's some twisted God." I notice Sebastian looking at me oddly. "What?"

Sebastian shakes his head. "I was merely thinking how curious it is that you have been reincarnated at this certain period in time."

I narrow my eyes. "What's strange about it? It's something to do with the war going on, isn't it? Tell me, Sebastian! It's an―" I start to demand but pause as a peculiar glow comes from the ground. I stare in disbelief; there's no way that it's forming a pentagram again... My hopes are tarnished as the fiery orange lines trace out below our feet. I look up at Sebastian and say, quite calmly, "Sebastian, I think from now on I should not stand so close to you. A two meter safe zone should suffice."

Sebastian stares at the pentagram forming and I swear I heard him curse under his breath. There's a slightly worried look in his eyes. I don't blame him; the last time this happened, _I died_.

"Sebastian, this is an order: protect me with your life. I do _not_ want to go through all this trouble to find you again in my next life," I warn him sternly.

"Of course, my Lord. I would never do anything less," Sebastian says, seemingly having regained his usual manner. Then he grabs my arm and pulls me against him. "Though I would wish that you would at least _attempt_ to stay out of danger. You almost got singed, _again_."

I pull my arm out of his grasp with a frown but stay close as the flames burst out of the ground like the last time. Snarling at the heat, I lean closer to Sebastian to stay away from the deadly tendrils. Speaking of Sebastian, he's quite popular these days. Only once in the four years I had known him in my past life had he been summoned back to Hell. Now, it's been two days and he's already wanted back. It could just be a coincidence I suppose, though.

The flames dissipate and I'm aware of the marble flooring I'm standing on. My eyes adjust after the bright light and I'm note that I'm standing in a large room made out of the finest stone and material. Up top, there is a throne and I can't help but find it fitting to this room.

The fine sound of heels clicking along the marble makes me look over to my right to find a beautiful man walking though the doorway.

"Michaelis," he breathes and gives a wave, his long gold hair flowing out behind him. "Where have you―" The man stops as he spots me and an inquisitive look passes over his face. "Have you brought me a meal?"

…Why the fuck does everyone seem think I'm just a slab of meat?

I narrow my eyes in anger at first, but then they go large in realization. "Sebastian, who is this man?" I demand, hurryingly digging through my shoulder bag to grab my portfolio. As I'm flipping through the pages I can feel the demons staring at me inquiringly. I let out a satisfied noise and pull out the sketch I did a few days ago.

"Bo-chan, what―" Sebastian's eyebrows are creased in confusion, but I shove the paper at him before he can finish his question. Then, Sebastian's eyes go wide and a horrified dread appears in them.

"Michaelis, what is this? Who is this child and why is he here?" The man demands, stalking over to Sebastian with an annoyed look on his face. "I demand you to answer me!"

Sebastian looks over to the man and, to my incredulity, goes to one knee and bows. "My deepest apologies, my King."

"Sebastian?" I whisper, perplexed. What does this demon― _my_ demon― think he's doing, bowing down to another?

Sebastian stands up. "Bo-chan, this is my King, Lucifer. Lucifer, my Young Master."

I feel my own eyes widen and I turn quickly back to the gold haired man. "_You're_ the devil? The Ruler of Hell? _Satan_?"

Lucifer smiles a sharp toothed smile, but somehow manages to put on a comforting look. "Indeed. But do not worry yourself, child. Come to me," he purrs. "I can make you feel the utmost pleasure. Even as I'm devouring you, only your cries of pure ecstasy will echo through the halls. I can see the desire in your eyes, to be touched and pleasured, to let your tantalizing soul bask in the greatest sin. Come to me…"

"S-sebastian," I say shakily, reaching out for my butler but losing myself in the tempting gold eyes. It feels like I'm drowning and the only thought that's in my mind is that that man can save me from it. I want to feel alive, every nerve on my body electrified as hands roam…

"…o-chan. Bo-chan!" Sebastian shouts out at me, trying to tilt my face away from the Ruler of Hell's. I stare blankly at Sebastian for a moment before snapping out of my daze and covering my visible eye for a moment, taking in an unsteady breath. Sebastian looks back up at Satan. "Lucifer, this boy belongs to me. We have a contract."

Lucifer nods his head. "Yes, I see that. However, it'd be all right if you gave him to me as a gift once your contract is complete, would it not? It's so rare to find such a pure soul like his." His eyes roam curiously over to the paper Sebastian is holding and he puts out a hand. "May I see that?"

Sebastian bows and hands over the paper and comes to stand beside me. Lucifer's eyes narrow as he studies the picture and the gold eyes fade to burning red.

"What is this supposed to be? Some joke or threat?" Lucifer snarls.

"How the hell is it supposed to be a threat?" I deadpan, glaring at the powerful demon lord but making sure not to look him directly in the eye. It seems his look can be somewhat hypnotizing on humans so I must be weary. "I didn't even know who you were before a couple of minutes so I obviously couldn't have planned this out. It's not my fault you're going to die in a pool of your own blood."

"You loud mouthed brat. How dare a mortal such as yourself speak to _me_, the Ruler of Hell, like that," Satan hisses, raising a hand to slap me.

Sebastian steps in front of me before the clawed hand can hit me and it drags three deep gashes across his face and his head whips to the side. Looking back at me, Sebastian tells me disapprovingly, "Behave yourself, Bo-chan. That is no way to speak to a King. Imagine if her Majesty had heard you say that back then."

I turn my head and tsk, ignoring the blood trailing down his face.

"My King, please accept my apologies on behalf of my Bo-chan. He is quite a proud child, if not ignorant of the consequences of his actions," Sebastian murmurs. I cross my arms and give him a half glare. "It seems my Young Master has a talent for clairvoyance, such as how he was able to draw this sketch."

Lucifer's eyebrows crease. "So this is what my future is, apparently? I am to die?"

Sebastian looks away. "Perhaps, but the future can be changed. This was the original set of events, but now that we are aware of these events, we can be more cautious."

Lucifer turns hard eyes towards me and a thought passes through them. "What did you say his name was again, Michaelis?"

"…Ciel Phantomhive," Sebastian says after a moment of reluctance.

Eyes widening, the ruler stares at me. "He is the boy who caused your imprisonment and execution charge. And now he has been reincarnated…"

My eyes quickly turn to Sebastian. "You were imprisoned? Why? What reason could they have wanted to kill you because of me?"

"After you had died, Bo-chan, I tore the other demon to pieces. Unfortunately, he was of higher ranking and the other demons did not take too kindly to me killing a noble, especially on behalf of a mere human child," Sebastian says calmly.

"Michaelis, you do understand the meaning of his reincarnation? It fits perfectly…" Lucifer murmurs, thinking hard.

Sebastian's head whips over to his King. "Yes, it has crossed my mind. But surely it might merely be a coincidence..."

"No! This itself is proof enough," Lucifer declares, holding up the sketch I did a while back. "The boy who will bring the downfall of Hell is _him_, he who drew the King _dead_." Satan then points a finger at me. "I say we kill him now, contract or not."

"No," Sebastian snarls, stepping in front of me. "_He belongs to me._"

Satan's eyes flash angrily again. "Michael―" he pauses and seems to realize something. "Actually, he might have some use... Clairvoyance is an extremely rare gift that few can actually harness properly. Perhaps we can use him to discover the outcome of some battles." Lucifer looks at me carefully. "You are very lucky, Ciel Phantomhive, that I don't kill you right now. It would be much easier, though I can't deny that you may be useful. Michaelis, since your contract is still valid with the boy, you are to take care of him and not to devour his soul until we have won this war or unless I give you permission to kill him."

"Yes, my King," Sebastian agrees after a pause, then bows and turns to me, scoops me up in his arms. "Let's go, Bo-chan. We have much to discuss."

"Yes," I agree and don't even struggle against his hold. From past experience I know it'd be futile to try and get out of this embarrassing bridal hold. As Sebastian starts running and leaves the building, I pose a question. "Where are we going?"

"To my manor," Sebastian replies as he sprints. Sebastian's manor, huh? I must admit that I am very interested to see where Sebastian spends his free time. It must be very grand because I can't imagine Sebastian spending his leisure time in a cottage.

I must say I'm a little disappointed. It's pretty bare around here, just rocky mountains and some dead trees. Where are all the other demons? I thought this was Hell, but I see no damned souls around here.

Sebastian seems to read my mind. "This area is reserved for the King that's why it is so barren. Trust me when I say there are many other terrible places in this realm, things that will scar you forever. Never, _never_ wander off alone, Bo-chan, because you will be taken and tortured so grotesquely you will think that those men that month were merely playing with you."

"You promised to protect me. Are you saying you wouldn't save me, Sebastian?" I demand.

"Of course I would, but you've never dealt with a demon before, Young Master. It wouldn't even take half an hour to rip apart your mind," Sebastian says and I believe him. Sebastian would save me, but it'd be too late. Hell, I'd almost wandered off willingly to Satan himself today, so it wouldn't take much.

Sebastian runs up a giant hill which leads to a cliff. He stops at the top and I peer over. I gape. "_That's_ your house?"

I had figured it'd be big, but this is _enormous_. It's at least the size of the Shinigami Library, probably even larger. The mansion is a dark grey with black edging. There's actually a garden around the mansion and I can see black roses growing along the green rose bushes. Large pine trees surround the area, hiding it from view if you weren't looking from above like we are. A surge of bitterness runs through me; my mansion was maybe _half_ the size of Sebastian's house, and I had been pretty damn proud of that mansion. Everyone complimented the grandness of Earl Phantomhive's manor.

"Yes. Impressed, Bo-chan?" Sebastian smirks and before I can answer, he jumps off the edge of the cliff. My eyes go large and I clutch onto his jacket as we plummet towards the hard ground. Sebastian lands perfectly and continues to the front of the mansion. I'm once again amazed by its size as I look up at it. Sebastian opens the door with one hand and I stare at the decor. Everything is beautiful and perfectly cleaned. There are ancient vases holding grand bouquets of flowers. A giant chandelier hangs off the roof and Sebastian lights the candles with a wave of his hand. The room is flooded with a warm glow.

Sebastian sets me down and I walk interestedly around the foyer. "I must admit, it _is_ impressive, Sebastian." I turn back to my butler and a frown comes over my face. "Sebastian," I start, walking over to him. Reaching a tentative hand to his face, my fingers brush over the wet crimson liquid. "You're still bleeding. Why hasn't the wound healed?"

Sebastian frowns as well and traces his fingers over the cuts. "I haven't eaten in over a hundred and twenty years, so my abilities must be fading."

"Why not?" I ask incredulously. "Idiot. Starving yourself can't be good."

"In my defense, I was locked up for a hundred of those years and another four was spent serving you. These last years I've been too busy serving Lucifer for this war that I haven't had time to contract any other souls."

"Then why not just take a soul without contracting it?" I ask, confused. Did they actually have to contract to get souls?

"To get souls from the human realm, we must contract a human, to 'make a deal with the Devil'. If I had to, I could take the souls here in Hell, but it's like… eating a rotten fruit. If you absolutely needed to, you would eat it, but you'd want to stick it out for as long as you could," Sebastian explains. "The souls here are too tarnished to be edible. That doesn't stop them from being amusing to torture, though."

I ignore that last part and pull out the handkerchief in his jacket pocket. Feeling slightly guilty that this demon hasn't been able to eat for quite a while because of me, I gently wipe off the blood that's covering the side of his face. "Then what are you going to do if you refuse to eat the souls here, are to busy to contract another, and are now unable to eat mine again lest you go against Lucifer's orders? You'll hardly be useful in this war if your powers fade, much less able protect me. I might have to find another demon keep me safe," I say calmly, but adding a slight tease at the end. I can already see the fire that lights up in his eyes at the thought of another demon, like that bastard Claude, ever touching me again.

Sebastian gets a thoughtful look and a smirk crosses his face. His eyes slide to mine and a shiver passes through me. "I can't devour your soul, but what if I were to have just a little taste? What do you think, Bo-chan? I deserve at least that much."

My eyebrows crease. "Will that help you, then?"

Sebastian nods. "It should satiate my hunger for now."

"Alright," I agree. If it would help, then I should let him. It'll end up working in both our favors if he regains his strength.

Sebastian takes a step closer so that he's standing right in front of me and tilts my face towards his. Then, to my slight surprise, he leans in and presses his lips to my own. I wasn't sure what I expected him to do, but I didn't think he'd do this. Sebastian's eyes are shut as his lips move against mine sensually. Suddenly, I let out a hiss as he bites at my lower lip. Taking advantage of my parted lips, I feel his tongue invade my mouth and a quiet moan escapes. My eyes close as my own tongue moves experimentally against Sebastian's; I can taste my blood on it. That bastard actually cut me when he bit my lip! Then he pulls away slightly and licks the final drop of blood off of my lips.

My breathing is a little harder as I speak. "Are you better?"

Sebastian smirks, his eyes glowing. "Yes, but I was wrong. My hunger hasn't been satiated but enhanced, greatly so."

"Well, that's too bad, because it seems to have worked," I motion to his cheek where the gashes have almost completely disappeared.

Sebastian puts on a pout. "But I'm hungry, Bo-chan. And you are simply delicious," he purrs, running a hand over my side.

I push his hand away. "It's not my fault you starve yourself. Now, let's go discuss a few things."

"Alright, let's head to the study," Sebastian says, leading the way. As Sebastian leads, I feel my face start to heat up. Did he honestly have to kiss me? I know it was only to have a taste of my soul, but surely it was a little more than necessary. I catch my reflection in a mirror hanging on the wall and curse at my red face. Damn that perverted demon!

Once Sebastian opens the door to the study, I manage to keep my face indifferent. After having seen the size of his house, this enormous room of books doesn't really surprise me. I am interested in the collection though; there seems to be some on everything and in dozens of different languages as well. Has he actually read all these…? Well, he _is_ immortal and eternity is a very long time.

I take a seat in a large comfy chair and Sebastian takes the other.

"It seems the fates are on your side, Bo-chan. Once again, I am not able to obtain your soul for the moment," Sebastian says and I can detect a slight bitterness in his voice.

"So it seems," I agree. "Just out of curiosity, what would happen if you _did_ disobey Lucifer?"

"I'd be stripped of my title as his Knight and be exiled, most likely even killed. Lucifer does not tend to be the most forgiving person and even though he acts gentle sometimes, it's all a farce to get what he desires," Sebastian explains. "He enjoys tempting people with false comforts, and then once they feel safe, he'll tear apart their soul, mind and body agonizingly slow."

"Sounds like a charming guy," I mutter. "Wait, Sebastian, what do you mean by his Knight? This is an order: I want you to explain everything from why you weren't executed, to your role here in Hell, to this supposed war going on."

Sebastian takes in a deep breath. "Yes, my Lord. Though there is quite a bit to explain." I motion for him to get on with it. "As I said earlier, after you were killed I murdered the other demon in my anger. The hierarchy is very important in Hell, so many were furious that I had killed a noble, someone of higher ranking then myself, so they had me locked up. Everyone figured I was going to be executed and the judge did pass that sentence, but Lucifer intervened and said to keep me chained up for one hundred years until he came to a suitable punishment. Most were a little annoyed at first that I wasn't going to be killed immediately but they got over that when they got to torture me to their hearts delight."

"You were tortured?" I ask in shock.

"Yes, but it wasn't too bad. They weren't aloud to give me any life threatening injuries so I was able to heal eventually," Sebastian waves it off as if it wasn't a too big of a deal. "After that time was up, they brought me in front of Lucifer to receive my final verdict. I had come to terms that I was going to die, so I was astonished when I only received a thin cut to my throat. As it was a Demon Sword, I still have the scar."

"Can I see it?" I ask, though it wasn't really a question because I was going to see it whether he agrees or not. Getting off of my chair, I move to Sebastian. He pushes the collar of his shirt aside and I peer at his throat, looking for this alleged scar on my demon. And I see it. There's a tiny, thin line across the left side of his throat and I trace a finger over it. How bizarre to see my butler with an actual scar; his arm had practically been cut off by Grell's chainsaw with no permanent damage and yet a tiny cut from a Demon Sword left a mark on the demon. "What happened after?"

"Immediately after, I was asked one of the greatest honors a demon could possibly receive: to be Satan's Knight. It was terribly amusing to see everyone's outraged face, especially my father's," Sebastian smirks in remembrance.

"Your father?" I gasp out. Never had it occurred to me that Sebastian might have a family. He's a demon so I just figured… what? After all this I realize how little I actually know about Sebastian, and it's like a weight's been pressed against my chest. I had felt so close to this demon, he'd been the only I could trust and I do trust him, completely. It had seemed as if the demon had belonged exclusively to me, but of course that was false. Sebastian must've had hundreds of contracts in his existence and I am just another soul for him to devour, nothing more.

Sebastian raises an amused eyebrow. "Yes, my father. Did you expect me to not have a family?"

I shake my head. "No… Well, yes. I had thought that demons were fallen angels."

Sebastian smiles. "Originally they were, Bo-chan, but demons can reproduce as well. I myself am a descendent of one of the Originals, but I am no fallen angel."

"I see. Continue on with this 'great honor' you received."

"Being His Knight, I must carry out his most desperate wishes. This is where the war comes into place. You remember Ash, Bo-chan?" Sebastian asks and I nod my head. "It seems he had been a _very_ important angel back in Heaven and when I killed him on your orders, the Angels became enraged and decided to reciprocate. For the past twenty years I have been serving Lucifer in this war, helping to plot battles and destroy the Angels. Most importantly, I have been looking for someone― two people, actually."

"And who would they be?" I ask.

"I do not know. The first is a demon who has been leaking information to the Angels."

"There are double agent demons as well?" I'm surprised. "I would've thought the sides would have been clearly divided."

"It _is _very odd, but dangerous nonetheless. We still have not been able to find the spy. The second person is from a prophecy," Sebastian says and gives me a look. A shiver passes through me. He couldn't be implying… "The Prophecy of Retribution. In short, a soul was to be reincarnated and that specific soul would bring the downfall of Hell and my kind. Fifteen years ago, that soul returned to the mortal realm."

"You can't be serious?" I say, aghast at the meaningful look he's giving me. "_I'm_ not the one from the prophecy, even if it fits."

"How do you know, Bo-chan?" Sebastian asks. "Trust me when I say that I had hoped it was not you; we are truly lucky Lucifer didn't kill you immediately."

"This is just ridiculous, Sebastian. Iamto bring down Hell? Why would I ever do that?" I ask incredulously, staring at him as if he were an idiot.

Sebastian frowns. "I do not know, Bo-chan. Perhaps you want to live and thus will side with Heaven so you will no longer be able to give me your soul."

I slap him without hesitation and he looks at me, surprised. "Bastard. Do you honestly think so low of me? We made a deal, Sebastian, and I shall uphold my end of it. Do not think for one second that I would run away like a bloody coward, Sebastian; it's insulting."

Sebastian's eyes soften. "Bo-chan," he murmurs. "I would expect nothing less from a Phantomhive."

"So you should," I mutter. "I am tired. Now that we have finished here, I wish to go to bed. Escort me to a room."

"Yes, my Lord," Sebastian says and gets out of his chair, then bows and leads me through the many corridors. It's like a labyrinth in here and without a guide I'd be lost in a heartbeat. We go up a few floors and Sebastian walks over to a stone wall at the end of the hall.

I stare stupidly at the dead end, wondering what the demon was doing. Sebastian seems to catch on and raises a secretive finger to his lip. "Watch, Bo-chan. This is my private room which no one should be able to enter besides those who know of its existence and how to get in." Sebastian pulls off his gloves and I watch with sick fascination as he drags the elongated nails of his right hand against his left, the blood dripping down the nails. He then proceeds to paint the image of his contract mark against the wall. Once complete, the stones seem to absorb the red liquid and they move apart to create an opening. Stunned, I follow Sebastian into the room. "It is possible to leave the room anytime, but to gain entrance again you must always do that."

Looking around, I'm amazed by the beauty of this room. Three of the walls are painted a black and the fourth is completely full of glass mirrors. Over in the front of the room is a gigantic fireplace which Sebastian lights with a motion of his hand. The room is enhanced to the orange and red glow, giving it almost a tender feeling. A king sized black canopy bed is directly across from the fire place, once again covered in black sheets. There's crimson red furniture with Victorian patterns for sitting on in front of the fire and a large dresser and desk sit in the corner. On the desk is a collection of personal favorites of books, along with some papers, a quill pen and a candle.

"I approve," I comment mildly while walking around the room.

Sebastian lets out a chuckle. "I'm glad. Ah, it seems you do not have any nightwear, Young Master."

I blink. Oh, that's right. I didn't have time to pack when we were spontaneously summoned to Hell. I let out a sigh. Alas, there was nothing to be done about it for now.

Sebastian walks over to his dresser and rummages through it before pulling out a large, black button-down shirt of his. Walking over, he hands it to me.

"You expect me to wear this?"

"Yes. I do not want you sleeping in my bed with the clothes you have been wearing all day. Now quit being stubborn and get changed."

I give him a quick glare and motion him away with my hand. "Turn around, demon!" Sebastian gives me an amused look but does as I say. Rapidly, I start to discard my own clothing until all my clothes have been removed.

Then I hear Sebastian say, "Personally, I think one of my favorite aspects of this room is the wall of mirrors."

An expression of horrified comprehension comes over my face and I pull the oversized shirt on, facing him. "Bastard! Pervert!" I shout at him, my face burning red from shame. "How dare you―"

"Shh," Sebastian murmurs as he presses a finger to my lips to silence me. "Do not worry, there's nothing to be ashamed of, Bo-chan," he purrs and a small smirk appears on his face. "I find your body simply _delightful_."

My eyes widen and I can feel my cheeks getting even redder. How dare he say something so scandalous? How improper! I go to slap him but he catches my hand and caresses it with his fingers.

"How innocently cute you are, Young Master. Even though I have seen you naked countless times before, you still become so embarrassed," Sebastian says with a pleased look, basking in my discomfort.

"S-shut up, you damn demon!" I snap. "Know your place!"

Sebastian just keeps his amused look and pulls the sheets back from the bed. Half reluctantly, I walk over to the bed and crawl on top of it. While pulling the sheets back up, Sebastian murmurs 'goodnight, Bo-chan' before turning to leave. As he's about to walk back out the entrance way, his hand motions towards the fire and it is put out. I'm surrounded in darkness.

I take a deep breath and burry myself further into the sheets, running the information I just received through my mind. With a quiet laugh, I realize that our roles have basically swapped. Now Sebastian is the one with the large mansion, he's Satan's Knight (like how I used to be the Queen's Watchdog) and I'm stuck in a different realm from my natural one. The only thing that remains the same is that Sebastian still must bow down to me, which is a comforting thought because I don't know how I would survive serving a demon.

Drowsiness starts to take over and I lay there. Then a thought strikes me.

Shit. Alois.

* * *

><p>~3rd Person POV~<p>

_Meanwhile, back at Grell's mansion…_

Drip. Drip. A giggle.

"Oh, Claude, Grell was right; you do look so much more fabulous colored in a crimson red," Alois murmurs happily, letting the red paint drip off of his finger onto the canvas picture. It looks as if the painting is almost bleeding from the amount of red Alois has used.

Alois runs his finger lovingly over the picture, taking care not to smudge his masterpiece.

"I can't wait to see you again, Claude," Alois says happily, though his eyes are narrowed maliciously. "Because when I do, I'm going to rip your heart out just like you did to me."

A saddened look suddenly crosses his face. "But…" he pauses, feeling tears start to well up in his eyes. "if you were to apologize, Claude, I'd forgive you." Alois stares patiently at the canvas. A couple of moments later, an enraged look comes across his face. "Damn it, Claude! APOLOGIZE THIS INSTANT!" When the painting says nothing, Alois angrily chucks it across the room.

Getting up moodily from his spot on the ground, Alois wipes the paint from his hands off onto the floor and leaves.

"Ciel?" he calls out, searching through the room. When he doesn't find him, he heads outside. "Ciel?"

Deciding he must indeed be in the mansion, Alois returns and starts going through the rooms, looking for his friend. After a little while, he still hasn't found any trace of Ciel or even Sebastian.

"Where the fuck did everyone go?" Alois asks out loud with a small frown.

"Oh, Master Alois!" A servant says with surprise and bows. "Is zere anyzing you require?"

Alois looks at the servant. "Have you seen Ciel? Or anybody for that matter?"

The servant shakes her head. "No, I 'ave not seen Master Ciel, Master Sebastian or Mademoiselle Grell since early zis morning."

Alois puts on a pout. Everyone left without him. Fine, he'd just make new friends then! "What's your name?"

"My name?" the maid asks, surprised. "Anne-Marie."

Alois puts on a dazzling smile and holds out his hand. "Do you wish to play with me, Anne-Marie? C'mon, there's some pretty dress we can dress up in! I'll do your make up."

Anne-Marie looks nervous. "Umm, I am not sure if we are aloud to go through Mademoiselle Grell's collection…"

A dark look passes over Alois' face. "What was that? Were you going against my demands?"

"A-ah no…" Anne-Marie says uneasily. "I suppose we could if we're very careful."

"Good! And then we can host a ball tonight!" Alois exclaims, grabbing the maid and pulling her along with him down the hallways as he runs towards where Grell keeps all his designs.

"A b-ball?" Anne-Marie stutters. Surely this boy wasn't serious!

Alois nods his head excitedly. "Yes and after we've got our dresses, we'll go guy hunting." Alois gives her a wink.

Anne-Marie gulps. _Mon dieu, just what have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

><p>Sebastian looks down at the sleeping form of his Young Master, studying his face. Now that he's looking closely, Sebastian realizes that the boy looks slightly more mature than the last time he had seen him; which makes sense considering this boy is a year older than when he had served him. Sebastian was even surprised that he was slightly taller, though it might've only been a centimeter difference.<p>

A smirk crosses his face. Oh how he wanted to devour this boy's soul. It would be well worth the wait if only he could just have a bite. Having a taste today he realized that it was even better than he had ever thought it would be. Sebastian can almost sympathize with Claude's obsession― almost, because he could never agree with the demon that had tried to take Ciel's soul from him.

Speaking of Claude, Sebastian has to wonder what the demon would do when he finds out Ciel is alive. When he finds out _Alois_ is alive. A frown passes over Sebastian's face. How _is_ Alois alive? After Ciel had stabbed the boy, they had left and never heard from them again because soon after, Ciel had died as well. _Claude mustn't have eaten his soul because their contract wasn't complete_, Sebastian figures.

Oh well. Sebastian couldn't care less about what Claude does as long as it doesn't involve Ciel.

"Soon, Bo-chan," Sebastian whispers sinisterly, running his hand along the small boy's face. "Soon your soul will be mine once again."

He leans in close and inhales the boy's scent before turning and leaving for the second time that night, planning on meeting up with Lucifer while the boy sleeps.

* * *

><p><strong>So how was it? :) Please feel free to leave me a review to continue to inspire me to write this story. I hope you enjoyed it and I'll start working on the next. It'll probably be my last update till school starts though O.o EWW! I can't believe summer is already over D; It went by so quick... Oh, and any thoughts on the new chapter from the manga? It was awesome; can't wait to see what's going to happen! *waiting impatiently for September 18* See ya ^^<strong>


	9. Town, Harnessing of a Power and Pets

**Hey guys! ^^ I'm back with another chapter, though I posted it later than I wanted to ^^; Sorry I've been trying to enjoy as much of the last week of summer as I can! D; I hope you guys like this chapter as well and thanks for all the reviews! Hugs for everyone ^^ They really keep me wanting to write and hopefully I'll still be able to update as much during school, though I'm going to be very busy unfortunately... ANYWAYS, I hope you enjoy it~**

**TROLOL: Oh most certainly haha! And thanks ^^ But of course Sebastian is a creeper, though honestly, who _wouldn't _want to creep on Ciel? He's just too cute to be a 13 yr old boy! ^^**

**Warnings*Mature language, sexual scenes, Yaoi, a couple OCs :( , gore, spoilers for whole manga/anime**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji, Yana Toboso does**

* * *

><p><em>~3<em>_rd__ Person POV~_

Grell looks uncertainly over his shoulder as he gets an espresso from the coffee machine. He's been hearing things, things that made him uncomfortable. His dear Sebas-chan is the talk of many Shinigami, and none of it good. They're pissed and want to do something about it. Not only that, but they're confused as to why a demon so suddenly broke into their records when the Shinigami have been neutral all throughout the war. Sebastian Michaelis is on their naughty list, and not the type of naughty Grell would've liked. What if they killed him? Then how was Grell supposed to get his kiss?

Letting out a frustrated noise, Grell moodily takes his espresso, and then almost screams when he turns around face to face to Josh Zachary, who is glaring down at the red head. Grell lets out a nervous chuckle.

"Excuse me," he says quickly and squeezes past the large man.

"I'm watching you, Sutcliff," he hears the man say threateningly. Grell freezes at his words. "I know there's something more going on and I _will_ find out what it is."

With narrowed eyes, Grell turns around. "Is that a threat?" he growls out, baring his razor teeth.

"No," Zachary says as he takes a step closer. "It's a promise. I'll expose you _and_ Spears for allowing a demon to get away with our records, you filthy traitors."

"William has nothing to do with―" Grell doesn't finish as the other Shinigami grabs him by the throat and pushes him against the wall.

"_Liar,_" Zachary snarls as he continues to choke the reaper. Luckily, Shinigami don't need to breathe, so it only caused him pain and not death as the stronger man continues to crush his throat.

"I would appreciate it if you'd release my associate," the calm and collected voice of William T. Spears says from behind them.

Zachary gives Grell one last perilous look before releasing him and letting him fall back to the ground. Grell falls to his knees and stares up with a loathing look towards the other Shinigami. There weren't many as strong as Grell, but Josh Zachary is one of them, his physical strength surpassing Grell's own. Zachary proceeds to leave without sparing a single glance at Will.

Grell starts to get up and Will goes to fill a cup with the water from the sink beside the coffee machine. It would be hard to get answers if Grell couldn't even speak. Grell gratefully took the glass of water from his boss.

"Sutcliff," Will starts. "What happened?"

After finishing his glass of water, Grell turns his green eyes towards Will's. Gingerly brushing his fingers over his aching throat, Grell says, "He knows that I gave Sebas-chan the Cinematic Records. For some reason, he doesn't believe it was an imposter like everyone else seems to." Grell is a little worried now and his tone becomes panicked. "Will, what if he really does get me exiled? I couldn't live―!"

"Relax, Sutcliff," Will interrupts calmly. "He has no proof that you did anything or that you were even there."

Grell raises his thumb to his lips and bites his manicured nail uncertainly. "I suppose… But William, he didn't just say me, he said he'd expose _both_ of us. But you didn't even do anything…" Will's mask shifts ever so slightly for a moment, but Grell manages to catch it. With narrowed eyes, he continues, "…or did you? Will―"

"Grelll-senpaaiii!" Ronald Knox calls out as he barges into the room, carrying a drink in one hand, a woman in the other. Then he notices William. "Oops. Are you two having a moment? My bad~, I'll jus' be goin then―"

"Mr. Knox, are you drunk?" Will demands incredulously, but of course he doesn't show his surprise. "And what are you doing with that woman―"

"Oh I think you know what I'm doin with her," Ronald jokes and takes another sip from his bottle before doing a ludicrous movement with his hips.

Will frowns and says in a frustrated tone, "Yes, I am aware, but it is against regulations for that kind of activity in the work building." Will walks over there quickly and rips the booze from the blonde's hand and grabs his jacket, dragging him out of the room and down the hall, intending on sobering the boy (and the lady) up enough so that he actually listens to what he has to say.

Grell's eyes widen slightly as he watches them leave. "Will…" he reaches out but the door shuts and he's met with silence. Grell stares at where they had left, his eyebrows bunched up. William is hiding something from him, and that's just not right! You're _never_ supposed to keep secrets from the ones you love. Grell would have to find out what it is before this situation gets even more complicated. _Sigh_. What has his dear Sebas-chan gotten him into?

With a determined look, Grell follows out the door.

Josh Zachary arrives back at his office. He wasn't kidding when he had said he'd get Sutcliff and Spears exposed and ultimately, exiled from the Shinigami realm. He'd defend the Shinigami's pride if it's the last thing he does. Now all he has to do is find evidence that Spears was involved.

Then, Zachary's eyes catch onto a note lying on his desk. He picks it up furiously, wondering who had come into his office uninvited.

"_Good day, Mr. Zachary,_

_I believe I can give you some information you might have use of concerning the whereabouts of Sebastian Michaelis. The address at the bottom of this note is where you shall meet me within the next hour. In return for this information, I also have a request, though we shall discuss more upon meeting._

_I look forward to our acquaintance."_

The angered look falls off the auburn haired man's face and he grabs his death scythe before jumping out his window, tucking the note into his pocket.

~_Ciel POV~_

Waking up, I groan and bury my face in the pillow. The scent is almost intoxicating and I never want to leave this comfortable bed. In fact, it smells almost like… My eyes widen and I sit up, looking around frantically. Oh good. Sebastian wasn't to be found. I had thought for a moment that I might've fallen asleep on him or something as equally ridiculous as that.

Now that I'm up, I deem it a waste of time to go back to sleep and get off of the large bed. With tired eyes I search around for any clothes; there aren't any. With a frustrated noise, I decide I should find Sebastian and ask him about it. I walk through the opening in the wall and to my amazement, it's not there when I look back. Carefully, I touch the wall where I had just come through. It's solid again.

Walking down the winding corridors, I search for my butler. "Sebastian!" I call out lazily, looking around for a familiar hall. "Sebastian, where are you?"

Coming around a corner, I see a platform and banister. I walk over and peering over it, I see a black form. "Ah, Sebastian, there you are―" then I see a mass of long golden hair appear beside Sebastian. "Lucifer." I nod my head politely to the demon lord.

Lucifer raises an eyebrow. "What an… interesting choice of apparel, Earl."

I try to stand as prideful as I can dressed only in an oversized black dress shirt with my hair a mess and contracted eye showing. "Sebastian, I wish to speak to you."

"Yes, my Lord." Sebastian bows and then turns back to Satan. "Lucifer, perhaps we can continue this conversation at a later time?"

"There's no need, we have already discussed all that's necessary," Lucifer says while waving Sebastian off. "You know what's to be done."

"Yes, my King," Sebastian says as Lucifer leaves. He then disappears in a corridor and reappears behind me. "What is it you needed, Bo-chan?"

I turn around rapidly. "Some clothing would be nice, Sebastian," I say sarcastically. "And perhaps some food."

Sebastian has an amused smirk. "You're sure you want clothes?" I give him a death glare. "Yes, well, being the hell of a butler that I am, I went out of my way to purchase you some clothing. I will bring up breakfast while you are changing."

I nod my head, satisfied as he leads the way to the bedroom. Once he has opened the doorway, he goes to his wardrobe and pulls out an outfit. I frown slightly, wondering when he had replaced his clothing with my own. As Sebastian comes over and lays the outfit on the bed, I gape at it.

"You expect me to wear _that_?" I stare at the blue outfit.

"It brings back memories, doesn't it, Bo-chan?"

"Yes, but it's not acceptable to wear in this time period," I say. The clothing he has had the nerve to pick out is almost identical to the outfits I wore as Earl Phantomhive in the 1800s.

"Perhaps not in your world, though in my realm this is a perfectly reasonable outfit, Bo-chan. We enjoy the older style that was around before the humans developed their technology," Sebastian explains.

"I thought you said you were getting breakfast?" I say rudely, waving him away as I gather up the clothing to change into.

"I am." Sebastian leaves and I pull on the clothing. It's very odd, since I haven't worn clothing like this since I'd been reincarnated. I can't remember ever having to put on a collared shirt and I try to fold the sleeve cuffs up properly. The midnight blue jacket was easy enough but I notice there's a black lace, most likely for a bow. Thankfully, I actually knew how to tie a bow in this era, but it still came out lop sided. Now, the knee high socks feel bizarre and uncomfortable but I manage to ignore it and slide the shoes on. The _high heeled_ shoes. If anyone sees me in this, I'd die from embarrassment.

There's a knock on the wall and then Sebastian appears through it, carrying a tray of tea, scones and fruit. Then he turns to me and an amused look comes over his face.

"I thought you said you didn't need my help," Sebastian says while setting down the food on the bedside table.

"I don't!" I mumble bitterly. "At least, not when I'm wearing normal clothing…"

Sebastian kneels in front of me and reties the ribbon. Then he redoes the cuffs as well. Running his fingers through my hair, Sebastian attempts to calm my bed head. Once he's satisfied that I'm presentable, he offers the tea and scones. I accept.

"So, Sebastian," I pause and take another sip of the tea. "What exactly am I to do during my stay here?"

"Lucifer wishes for you to predict the outcome of our battles," Sebastian says while standing obediently beside me.

"You mean have those visions willingly?" I say incredulously. "How do you suppose I do that? It's not just something I turn on and off when it suits me; I don't have control of when it happens."

"Then you should learn how to do it soon because Lucifer is not too patient," Sebastian uncaringly states. "Unfortunately, there is no way I can aid you, Bo-chan, as clairvoyance works different for each individual and I myself do not have that gift."

"Is that so?" I mutter. "Well, it'd help if I actually had paint and supplies."

"I shall prepare the carriage immediately and we shall purchase you some supplies," Sebastian says while taking away the tray.

~_In the carriage…_

"Sebastian, do you think it's alright to leave Alois unattended at Grell's mansion?" I ask in a bored tone, sitting on the comfortable cushioned seat.

"Probably not," Sebastian admits. "But then again, it's _Grell's_ mansion so it's of no concern for us."

"True," I murmur, looking at the curtains covering the window.

It's frustrating that Sebastian has closed the curtains for the window because I wish to see more of this realm, but he said that we'd be passing through parts of Hell that would make me ill to see. Hearing the faint tortured screams, I suppose it was right of him to do that.

"How long until we're there?" There's an annoyed tone to my voice.

Sebastian sighs. "We're almost there, Bo-chan."

I tap my finger against the wooden window sill. Noticing Sebastian staring at my finger with his face carefully devoid of emotion, I smirk and start tapping louder and faster. I think I saw his hand twitch.

The carriage bounces slightly and comes to a stop. Sebastian gets up and prepares to open the door. "We shall be walking the last distance to the shop."

Sebastian gets down and holds out a hand to help me down, which I pointedly ignore and hope out of the carriage. I eye the horses that were pulling it again. They're ugly, despicable things that are so skinny they seem like a pile of bones. Tight, leather like skin stretches across them and their eyes are sunken into their skull. The creepiest parts of these creatures are those eyes; they aren't horse eyes, they're _human_. The pupils are shrunk and they look on with pure hatred at everything around them. I've come to the conclusion that I really do not like Hell's animals.

Looking around the strip of buildings that are down this route, I notice that everything does have an older feeling to it. It's truly as if I am back in the 1800s, observing these ancient buildings. I notice a few signs depicting book shops, hard ware supplies and even a _pet store_.

"What do you think, Young Master?" Sebastian asks, looking around admirably at the buildings. A curious look passes over my face; it's as if Sebastian's proud of all these buildings around him. _It's his home_, I remind myself. Of course he would be content here.

"It _does_ remind me a lot of my past life. It's a nice change of pace from my technologically advanced world," I say, admiring an interesting bouquet of flowers I've never seen before. I was about to touch the petal when Sebastian grabs my wrist.

"I would not do that. If you were to touch the pollen that covers that flower, it would eat through your skin and your flesh would rot," Sebastian tells me with an amused look.

"Lovely," I mutter, pulling my hand away from his grasp. It made sense that anything as beautiful as this bouquet here in Hell would be truly sinister at heart. Sebastian is the perfect example. With his charming exterior, he could win over _anyone's_ trust and heart, and then when you feel the safest, he'll devour you, extinguishing your pitiful existence. Like the demon he is, he'll laugh at your misery as you realize you've been played along this whole time. You'll beg depressingly, trying to convey how much he means to you, but he'll just smirk and finally, as you lie there dying, you'll realize how much of an idiot you were for trusting something so sinfully beautiful.

"Make sure you stay close to me," Sebastian warns as he starts to walk down the pathway.

I do as he says and observe the people― the _demons_― sometimes with wonder, other times with pure disgust. Many of them are dressed extremely provocatively with dresses so short I'm amazed it manages to cover anything. A lot of the demons are quite beautiful and I notice rare metals and stones covering some of the exceptionally stunning ones. And then there are some that would give children nightmares with their grim pointy faces. Some even have discolored skin and spiraling horns.

"Oh, Michaelis-sama, it's been a while," a beautiful, Asian looking demon says, bowing respectively. She has jade colored eyes but with the thin cat like pupils that Sebastian has when his eyes go red. A skimpy dress that reminds me of Ran Mao barely covers her assets. Gold chains cover her throat and decorate her full head of hair, but that isn't what my attention is drawn to. Beside her, with a chain around his throat, is a pale, dirtied young man. Completely nude, I can see the bruises and cuts which have not healed and his agonized eyes meet mine. If it were not for his damaged face, the boy would've been handsome.

"Aiko, what a pleasant surprise," Sebastian says, nodding his head towards the woman. I still can't take my eyes off of the man chained up like a dog.

The man seems to realize I'm not an immortal and says with a raspy voice, "Please help me! Please―"

With wide eyes, I take a step back from the man and closer to Sebastian as the guy reaches a hand towards me.

"How dare you speak when not spoken to," the woman demon hisses and slaps the man harshly, his head flying to the side. Then Aiko bows her head to Sebastian again. "My apologies for this one's rude behavior. He's a new pet so I haven't had the time to train him properly yet."

Sebastian puts on an understanding smile. "It's quite alright, my dear. I understand just how stubborn mortals can be at times. If I might say, he is quite appealing, though what happened to your dear Talis?"

Aiko shrugs her shoulders. "I got bored of him so I fed him to my hounds. Humans are only interesting for so long…" Then the demon eyes me with a sinister look. "Speaking of pets, I see you've finally taken one in. I must question why you have dressed him so elegantly? That clothing is much too classy for a mere mortal pet."

My eyes narrow at being addressed as a domestic animal.

"You think so?" Sebastian asks with a doubting tone. "I think it suits my Bo-chan exquisitely," Sebastian says while running his hand down my side.

"Like a porcelain doll," she murmurs approvingly. "Though I would not treat my pets to such luxuries, it is like you to do so. Unfortunately, I must be on my way. It's been good to see you, Michaelis. Please tell Raisa I say hello."

I notice Sebastian's smirk lower slightly. "Of course. Good day, Aiko." The woman waves and then leaves, dragging the man after her.

"Sebastian, who was that despicable woman?" I demand as Sebastian continues on his way to the shops.

Sebastian casts a glance over his shoulder to make sure the demon was out of ear shot. "Be wary of how you speak, Bo-chan. Demons have enhanced senses, as you know." Sebastian looks down at me. "I apologize. That scene must not have sat well with you, Young Master, but this is Hell. That woman is a very reputable and royal demon so I was expected to be respectful to her."

"She spoke of me as if I were a pet," I say dangerously and glare at him accusingly, "and you did nothing to defend me. And I thought you prided yourself on being the perfect butler, Sebastian. Perhaps it was wrong of me to praise you. "

Sebastian's eyes narrow and he runs a glove covered finger down the side of my cheek, tilting his head with an open mouth smirk. "It seems you've made a mistake, Young Master: I _am_ one hell of a butler. However, I completed your side of the contract over a hundred years ago. The only reason you are still breathing is because my King has use of you. You yourself just witnessed what becomes of many mortals here, and yet I continue to serve you faithfully." Then Sebastian's eyes soften and his words are breathed quietly. "I could break you so easily, it'd be as simple as snapping a twig. You'd be so delicious… But I can't."

I stare at him with wide eyes, my heart beating quicker than previously. That had been fear that went through me when Sebastian had spoken like that. I've always been aware of Sebastian's true nature, but just now it almost sounded like he was threatening me. If it hadn't been for my 'gift', as Sebastian had put it, he would've killed me by now and I would only be a faint memory.

Without realizing it, I take a step back from him. He blinks and realizes that his words have frightened me. With a small frown, he reaches out. "Bo-chan…"

"Don't touch me!" I snap, avoiding his hand. "Let's just get the bloody paint. The sooner this damn war is over, the sooner you can have your meal, demon. I'll no longer be such a burden to you and you can find a new 'pet'."

Sebastian looks at me with troubled eyes but only says, "Yes, my Lord." He leads the way down another route and I follow, my hands shaking with rage. How dare that demon make a fool of me like that? How dare he mock me? How dare he― he―

The rest of the trip was tense. I didn't acknowledge anything else interesting I saw, merely grabbing materials I thought would be useful and tossing them angrily in the bag Sebastian had, not saying a single word. The ride back was uneventful and I sat in my corner, ignoring Sebastian completely.

"Bo-chan, I understand you are angry that I spoke back to you like that, but you must stop this silly―" Sebastian starts as he opens the carriage door to get out.

"Screw off," I say rudely as I get down.

Sebastian's eyes flash dangerously. "Honestly―"

"I'm tired of this, Sebastian," I say, my voice suddenly drained. Turning heavy eyes to him, I continue. "Stop acting like you give a shit what I feel. You're a demon, how could you even understand human emotions? You don't have to keep up this façade of being my perfect butler."

"Young Master?" Sebastian asks with a confused look. "I don't quite understand―"

"I'm sick of this!" I roar, balling up my fists and hitting him on the chest, my eyes burning. "All this waiting, wondering when I'm finally going to die. I was ready to die a century ago, _so_ _why won't you just devour me already?_"

My breathing is harsh, my emotions all confounded. I look at him desperately, waiting for him to say or do _something_. Sebastian stares down at me, stunned. I can feel a slight breeze brushing through my hair as we just gaze at each other.

There's a sudden clack to my left and a bright white portal appears. We both glance over to it and I watch as three figures dressed in black suits step out of the passage. _Shinigami._

"Sebastian Michaelis?" a forceful voice demands from the center of the trio.

With narrowed eyes, Sebastian speaks, "What is it to you? Why have your kind come to this realm?"

"My name is Josh Zachary, and I have come to ask you a few question before I dispose of you," Zachary says calmly, glaring at the demon.

I snort. "Do you honestly believe we'll answer anything you have to ask after you've just threatened us?"

Zachary turns his cold eyes to my form. "And who might you be, child?"

"Ciel Phantomhive."

One of the other Shinigami steps up to Zachary. "Boss, Daniel said that there was a boy with the demon who had blue grey hair."

Zachary nods his head to the younger male. "I see. Who else was there? Who were the blond boy and the other demon that pretended to be Grell Sutcliff?"

"I see no reason to answer your questions, though it amuses me that you believe it was a demon in disguise who aided me in retrieving the records and not one of your own kind," Sebastian says with intrigued eyes. "Do you really have so much faith in him?"

"We have proof," the younger Shinigami says defiantly. "The Reaper you nailed to the wall told us that it wasn't Sutcliff."

"Did he now?" Sebastian looks terribly amused, smirking, his eyes bright. "I do not recall hitting him on the head, so he couldn't have just _forgotten_. That must mean his memories were forcibly tampered with..."

"How ridiculous! A Shinigami tampering with another Shinigami's memories!" the other Shinigami scoffs but Zachary is staring at Sebastian with dark eyes.

"I knew Sutcliff was guilty but Spears defended him," Zachary hisses. "Though I never realized Sutcliff managed to tamper with Daniel's memories; I thought the boy was just in denial of such betrayal of his own kind. You have yet to inform us of the blond, though."

"He is of no concern to you," I snap. "He doesn't even reside in Hell, so leave us be. We got what we wanted so you will not have to worry of seeing us in your realm anymore."

"Why do you side with the demon, boy?" Zachary asks harshly. "He is but a filthy creature intent on devouring your young soul."

"I am aware of that, though I would much rather he devour me than allow one of your kind to drag me off to Heaven. I was destined for Hell ever since that day when Sebastian saved me and I am perfectly fine with my fate," I say calmly. "If that is all you wanted, I'm afraid I have better things to do. Sebastian, let us go."

"Yes, my Lord," Sebastian bows and we start to head away when we're intercepted by what looks suspiciously like a rotary cultivator. It's long, though shorter than Spear's scythe, and at the tip are many pointed blades attached to a metal pipe which spins when pushed, generally used to tear apart the ground.

"I believe I said that once I got my answers that I would dispose of you," Zachary states.

With an extremely annoyed look on my face, I turn to him. "I thought the Shinigami were neutral in this war. Wouldn't killing Sebastian cause problems for your kind?"

"It is his fault for attacking Daniel―"

"I left him alive for a reason," Sebastian interrupts. "I have no desire to get involved in your affairs, Shinigami. It is preferable for everyone if you remain neutral as Gods of Death and stick to your own business. You have no part in this war."

Zachary stares at him for a moment before retracting his scythe. "This had better be the last time we see you, demon. Next time, we won't hesitate to destroy you, despite the consequences."

The three men leave through the portal again.

"Let us go, Bo-chan," Sebastian says and continues to the manor, carrying the bag of art supplies we purchased. I take one last look at where the Shinigami disappeared before following.

"Sebastian, was it all right to inform them of Sutcliff's involvement? They clearly believed that it was merely a doppelganger," I say with a frown.

"Grell's well being is of no concern to me," Sebastian says simply. "It is his punishment for trusting a demon."

"What confuses me is why Spears defended him, apparently. He was obviously aware of what happened, so why defend the idiot?" I ask in confusion.

Sebastian gives me an interested look. "Bo-chan, isn't that what humans do for those they care about? They protect them because they are afraid of losing them."

I blink. "Well, yes, but this is _Spears_. If anything, wouldn't he be relieved that Grell wouldn't cause any unnecessary problems for him anymore?"

Sebastian smirks. "You can be so oblivious, Bo-chan." I bristle. "Did you not see the look in his eyes when he saw us with the Records."

"Yes. He looked pissed," I snap.

"Not only that, but he had to have been quite panicked for him to react in such a way," Sebastian comments as we're passing through the front door. "I believe he cares more for Grell than he lets on."

"What?" I say, surprised. "And what makes you think that?"

Sebastian shrugs his shoulders. "Perhaps what Grell has said about him is true. They've known each other for a long time and it's hard not to form some kind of connection after that much. If he truly dislikes Grell, Spears would've had him exiled immediately."

I stay silent after that. What Sebastian had said is indeed quite logical. I just never thought someone could actually like that psychotic red head. Besides Alois. Those two were a match made in Heaven― or Hell, most likely. There's no way God would want to bring those two together. The mental and physical scarring those two could create terrifies me, having already seen before just what they're capable of. Though, hopefully Alois has lost his insane tendencies since he's been reincarnated…

As we enter my newly entitled room, Sebastian speaks up again.

"Bo-chan, you realize why I can't devour your soul?" he asks hesitantly.

I freeze, and then let out a sigh. "Yes, I understand that you aren't able to go against Satan's wishes. I was acting foolish and let my emotions control me."

That was as close to an apology that he was going to get out of me. "Are you that eager to die?"

I'm startled and it takes me a moment to reply. "No…There are still things I would like to do and see before I die, though it's impossible now. My time in this world ended when my revenge was complete, or so it should have. I am not eager to die, but as I've said, I have no qualms against it once this war is over."

Sebastian nods his head and sets up the easel and many bottles of paint on his desk. I follow him and sit at the desk, staring at the empty canvas.

"So how exactly am I supposed to do this?" I ask in frustration.

Sebastian purses his lips. "I was reading last night and it suggested going into a calm state first."

Deciding to at least _try_ it, I close my eyes and try to calm myself. That lasts about ten seconds before I snap. "Could you stop staring at me? It's distracting! Go and clean or something until I've finished."

Sebastian raises an eyebrow. "Alright, my Lord. Though when I comeback later I expect something to be on that canvas."

"Yes, yes," I mumble, waving him away. I can't say I enjoy the thought of being pressured to paint, but I try to ignore it as I close my eyes. Alright, ignore the feel of the chair underneath me, block the flickering of the candles throughout the room and push away the other thoughts roaming in my mind. Focus only on my steady breathing. When I've decided I'm calm enough, I allow the single thought of the war on my mind.

My eyes open and as if in a trance, I pour paint out paint and dip it into a dark brown before tracing over the canvas. Following pure instinct, I add many other shades of brown to form jagged looking rocks in the background. Then I dip my paintbrush in the red and continue. It's almost like my hand's moving on its own, directing me where to paint. I wonder how long I've been painting, but I don't dare stop. Some more cream color is needed, then lots of black and grey. Drying off my paint brush almost completely, I swipe a minimal amount of black onto it and trace it lightly around the form, giving it a wispy effect. It's not done; I need more highlights. There is something creating much light, though it's outside of the canvas. I continue to add tiny details to the image: the dark green ring around the pupil, tiny skulls hanging off of glasses, a deep purple mark. Then I set my paintbrush down.

My eyes focus and widen. Did I really just paint all that? I had only been half aware of what I was doing the whole time I was painting, understanding somehow what I had to paint though in reality having no clear image in my mind.

"I must say, that was most interesting, Bo-chan."

I jump and turn around, clearly startled by the voice of my butler. "Sebastian… How long have you been here?" I demand forcefully.

Sebastian pulls out his pocket watch. "It's been a few of hours now."

"What?" I ask, shocked. "You've been standing there just _watching_ me for a few _hours_?"

"Actually, when I first came in, I had intended to bring you tea. However, when I spoke to you, you completely ignored me the first time and then tried to hit me when I asked again," Sebastian explains. "I decided to wait until you were out of your trance like state before asking again. So," Sebastian holds up a tea kettle happily, "would you care for some tea, Bo-chan?"

I stare at him before chucking a pen at his face all the while missing my dart set I had at my old mansion. "Idiot demon, if you've truly been there that long, the tea will have gone cold."

"It would be no feat for one of my stature to warm it up, though if it pleases you, I will prepare a fresh kettle," Sebastian says.

"Fine, do that while I clean up," I mutter and grab the paintbrushes and everything else I used. Walking over to the connected bathroom, I turn the tap on and carefully start to clean the equipment. Once I'm satisfied with that, I wash my own hands. Somehow when I was painting, my jacket had disappeared and I had rolled up my shirt sleeves to my elbows, which was just as well as I had paint all along my arms. And some on my face. And in my hair… How the hell do I always manage to do that?

Once I walk back into the bedroom, I notice Sebastian is studying the canvas. I go to stand beside him.

"It seems we have not quite finished with Grell Sutcliff," Sebastian states.

"So it seems," I agree. On the canvas is the image of Grell and Sebastian, standing defensively together, facing something not illustrated on the canvas. Damn, it'd be so much easier if we knew _who_ they're fighting, or if they win; at least it's a start though. Both of them have a fair bit of blood covering them, though it's not clear just whose it is. Grell has his usual chainsaw out, though Sebastian isn't holding any silverware like I expected. Instead, there are thin shadows dancing around him, reminding me of the day we met. His eyes are glowing red and his gloves are missing, revealing our contract mark and long, claw like black nails.

Sebastian tilts his head. "What is that in the background…" he murmurs, looking closer.

My eyebrows scrunch up. "It almost looks like…" I raise a hand to my right eye. "My eye patch."

Sebastian leaves and walks over to the tray of tea he brought up and pours me a glass. I take it and sip at the burning liquid while leaving the desk as well. Walking over to the mirrors, I set my tea on the bedside table and undo my eye patch, letting it fall to the ground. I've noticed that the more time that I've spent with Sebastian, the more the contract mark has reappeared in my eye. Before, there had been a faint, odd looking mark, but now the pentagram was clearly present as it had been before, signifying Sebastian's possession of my soul. I've always wondered why it's my _eye_ that holds the mark and not my hand like Sebastian, though don't they say that the eyes are the windows to our souls? Also, I'm pretty sure Sebastian mentioned once that the closer to the eye the stronger the contract is.

"Sebastian, do you want to play a game of chess… What are you looking at?" I ask, annoyed at Sebastian's scrutinizing of me.

Sebastian stays silent for a moment before speaking up. "There's something missing," he says mysteriously before turning to his desk and ruffling through his drawers.

"What?" I'm stumped. I continue as Sebastian takes something out and walks over to me. "Sebastian, what do you mean by tha…" My eyes go wide and everything seems to freeze. "Is that…?"

"It does not seem right for the Earl Phantomhive not to be wearing the ring that has been passed down for generations," Sebastian murmurs while getting down on one knee and gently taking my left hand. I watch in wonder as he slides the large sapphire ring over my thumb.

"Where did you get this?" I ask hoarsely, staring down at the item that had meant so much to me.

"I kept it with me after you had died," Sebastian says as he stands up.

I touch the ring softly, the familiar weight of it coming back. Sebastian had kept my ring with him when I had died? What did that mean? Perhaps I mean more to him than just another meal. I sincerely hope so. If even a little, Sebastian has enjoyed being by my side, to know that the time we have spent together is genuine and not just a façade on his part to obtain my soul, it would set my heart at ease.

All in all, I can't help but feel honored that this _demon_ kept this ring― my ring. I realize that I also feel a tad possessive, hoping that Sebastian hasn't kept anything from any other contractor he's had because this demon is my demon.

I look up at the tall man in front of me. "Thank you," I say quietly in contrast to my pounding heart in my ears. It still seems somehow unreal that he really kept this.

Surprise crosses the demon's face. "For what?"

"For… keeping this. I'm not sure why but, I feel glad that my memory was kept alive," I say.

"Bo-chan, you affected many people's lives, though admittedly, not always positively," Sebastian says pensively, referring to our many missions as the Queen's Watchdog.

"Perhaps, but everyone I knew back then has been dead for years. They've been buried in the ground and have been forgotten as well," I add pessimistically.

"I'm sure they remember you in Heaven, Bo-chan. Your Mother, Father, Miss Elizabeth, they all cared greatly for you," Sebastian says reassuringly.

I raise an amused eyebrow. "Demon, are you attempting to comfort me?" I ask, incredulous. "It doesn't matter if they remember anyway as I'll never see them again. I belong to you." I laugh humorlessly. "I wonder what they think of me, staying by a demon's side and aiding him. I wonder if they're ashamed of me and do not even want me going to Heaven anyway."

Sebastian's face falls sullen. "Bo-chan, are you trying to guilt me?"

"No, I just think it'd be humorous to see their expression that I'd choose I demon over them," I say frankly and walk away, leaving the uncomprehending Sebastian behind me. When I don't hear him following, I turn my head and give him a smirk, having regained my normal air. "I believe I challenged you to a game of chess. Should I assume you're too scared to accept?"

Sebastian tilts his head to the side, a curious look in his eye as he matches my smirk. "Of course not, my Lord. Though you will not be upset when I win yet again, Bo-chan?"

"Tsk, as if. I still remember your strategies and I'll be the victor this time," I say confidently.

"We shall see about that, Bo-chan. We shall see…" Sebastian responds and follows me out of the room, leading to his study. Walking down the darkened hall in the depths of Hell, with this demon intent on winning a chess game against me, I can't help but feel rather content. If only things could stay this way forever. If only there wasn't a war going on, I wasn't believed to be part of some prophecy and Sebastian wasn't going to devour my soul, I wish I could enjoy playing chess with him everyday. Even though I ruled over many people in my past life, we are all still pawns to the grand scheme of life and nothing I wish for will ever change it. Especially for someone like me, who has no faith in God.

For now though, I shall move my pawns strategically and keep this king standing as long as possible, until my knight eventually turns against me.

~_3__rd__ Person POV~_

A small smile crawls upon its face. It has certainly received some interesting information today. According to the meeting held by Lucifer, this boy, Ciel Phantomhive, is the one from the prophecy. That said, everyone is wondering why Satan is even allowing him to live. Even if he does have clairvoyance, it's not worth the risk. Some are comforted by the fact that Michaelis is guarding him though, so if he does try anything, the boy will surely be killed immediately.

A laugh echoes through the small room. _What idiots_. They are so blind, naïve. And that will be the cause of their downfall.

For now though, there are things that need to be done.

* * *

><p><strong>So what do you guys think? Whose giving out these hints to that bastard Shinigami, Zachary? ;( Well, I think they should just die and leave Grell alone, but apparently that's not how stories and plots work... I hope you guys like it and I'm looking forward to updating next week when schools back in (hopefully). I've been thinking of writing a one-shot but... it'll probably take time up for this story so maybe another time... Umm, and I think that's all I have to say. Until next time! ^^<strong>


	10. Imprisoned, Taken by Fools and Comrades

**Hey everybody! This is my 10th chapter which deserves, like, a huge celebration (or at least a pat on the back ^^;) on my part for being able to continue for this long. So, YAY! Cookies and Sebastian dolls for everybody whose managed to read up this far XD I'm so tired right now I' m surprised I'm coherent enough to write any of this... School sucks ass and is taking up my life. Got so much homework from my FIRST DAY. Not to mention I have three honor classes... Stupid me, taking on so much DX So hopefully I'll still be able to update, but I'm not too sure about how often it'll be... Reviews do really make me inspired to write though so I continue to look forward to those. Umm, yeah. So I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as well! ^^**

**Sirius Lee Black: Aww thanks! haha well you're in luck, I'm updating again today! ^^**

**Warnings*Mature language, sexual scenes, Yaoi, a couple OCs :( , gore, spoilers for whole manga/anime**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji, Yana Toboso does (she's brilliant. Love her.)**

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><p>"Bo-chan, it's time to get up."<p>

I open my eyes and spot Sebastian. Getting up rather easily for a change, I accept the tea and food he's brought for me.

"What's the schedule for today?" I ask, remembering how I'd ask that every morning back when I was an earl.

"Lucifer has asked me to investigate something," Sebastian says as he searches around for clothing.

"Really?" I give him a curious look. "What's it about?"

"It seems there have been some strange angelic energies in a human town. I'm going to see if the angel is still there, and if so, ask it a few questions." Sebastian lays an outfit out. "You should stay in this room while I'm gone, though I shouldn't be too long."

"What?" I exclaim. "I'm not staying here all day! I'm coming with you."

Sebastian gives me an uncertain look at my stubbornness. "Bo-chan, I would much prefer you stay here…"

Giving him a glare, I say, "Too bad. It'll be boring if I'm alone all day in this God forsaken room."

Sebastian raises an eyebrow. "Is that your way of saying you'd miss me?" he says with an amused smirk.

I turn my head away. "Tch, of course not! I'm coming with you and that's the final word on this subject."

"Yes, my Lord," Sebastian agrees reluctantly.

I pick at my clothes. "Now that we're going to the human realm, shouldn't we be wearing something more appropriate for the era?"

"I'll fetch your modern clothing," Sebastian murmurs and takes the now empty tray away. When he comes back a few moments later, he's holding the clothing I arrived in two days ago. I nod in approval and he leaves once again while I change. Reaching over to the bed side table, I grab the precious ring and slide it on my thumb. Then I tie my eye patch on and leave the bedroom.

"Sebastian," I call out and he appears from a corridor. "Where―"

I freeze when I catch sight of him. Expecting to see him in his butler uniform, I'm extremely shocked to see him in normal clothing. He's wearing dark blue jeans and a white button up shirt, though a couple at the top have been left undone. Over top of that, he's wearing a black jacket as dark as his ebony hair. I must admit that it's extremely attractive, though Sebastian could probably pull off anything, even something as ridiculous as bunny ears and a tail.

I continue as if I hadn't been stunned by his appearance, though Sebastian has a knowing look on his face. "Where are we going?"

Sebastian straightens out his jacket and I notice he's not wearing any gloves to cover his black nails or the contract symbol. Well, I suppose in this day and age he can just pass it off as a tattoo if he wants to.

Then Sebastian gives me a look. "The city where you've lived for the past fourteen years."

"What?" I ask in surprise. Then realization hits me. "Is that why you didn't want me to come?"

"That was part of the reason," Sebastian admits. "Though mostly I did not want to put you in unnecessary danger, I realize you must have attachments to the people there so I wished for you to stay out of this. Though now that I've told you, there is no way you'll change your mind, is there?"

"Not a chance," I agree and walk over to him. "You needn't worry though, those people won't influence my decisions."

Sebastian nods. "Then we shall proceed." The demon wraps an arm around me and shadows flicker before consuming us. For a moment, it's impossible to breath and panic begins to claw at my mind, but then the shadows flicker away and we're standing in my home town. Actually, an alley to be specific. I walk to the edge of it and peer out at the sun shining brightly down on the crowded street. Sebastian comes to my side.

"Where do we go?" I ask, eyeing everything around me. I remember every place in this town, all the moments I spent with my fake family and friends, and yet, it feels like I have no place here. It's an unreal feeling, as if I'm looking around at a faint, insignificant point in a movie. I know now that even if I could, I would never be able to live here again like I had been.

Sebastian closes his eyes for a moment, and then reopens them. "That way." He nods to the left. We walk out into the light together and down the street. A school bus passes by. Ah, that's why the roads are so packed: its rush hour for school. I stay to Sebastian's left and try to keep out of sight from the people on the road and sidewalk. It wouldn't do good to have people recognizing me after having disappeared a few days ago.

We pass a store selling televisions and I notice it's on the news channel. I pause in disbelief when an image of me and Alois is shown.

"_It's been four days since the terrifying murders of our town have abruptly ceased. With the total of seven of our community murdered ruthlessly, we are all in a time of mourning. However, the day after the last killing, two teenage boys, Caelum Shanin and Alois Hallington, disappeared. The police are still investigating, though without a suspect for the murders caught, it is believed these boys might have been kidnapped as the killer fled. For more infor…"_

"Caelum Shanin?" Sebastian questions with an amused look.

"Shut up," I snap at him irritably. I don't understand why Alois' first name got to stay the same and _I_ had to be stuck with Caelum. "Let's just make sure nobody recognizes me."

Thankfully, the people we did happen to pass on the side walk were too busy gawking at Sebastian to really notice me. We're walking rapidly down the streets, trying to avoid the more populated ones as Sebastian tries to figure out where the angel must be. The more we travel, the more familiar the surroundings are and the wearier I become. When we step onto my street, my suspicions are confirmed.

"Of course it'd be here," I mutter as we walk up to the front of my house. "Why did I think for a moment that it'd be somebody else out of the three billion people on this planet?"

"I must admit that you do seem to have a knack for pulling the supernatural to you, Bo-chan," Sebastian agrees as we stare at the house.

I eye the cars in the drive way. "Do you think anyone is inside?"

Sebastian shakes his head. "I do not believe so. I can't sense anyone. We should check around to see if there's anything suspicious in here."

"Right." We walk towards the door and I type in the familiar code. It unlocks and I open it, walking into the house. Everything's the way I remember it. Sebastian and I split up, checking around the rooms for anything odd. "Sebastian, I'm going to check upstairs," I call out as I walk up the stairs.

Automatically, I head for my bedroom and upon entering, notice that some of my stuff isn't where it should be. My first assumption is that the bastards went through my stuff while I was gone, but then a logical part tells me that it was most likely an investigation team. I wander around and stare at my stuff without much interest and move a couple of papers out of the way. My eyes catch on a homework assignment that I was supposed to hand in and I snicker, realizing I'll never have to write another horrible essay like that ever again.

There's a soft sound behind me and a faint glow. I turn around rapidly, going into a defensive stance, when my jaw drops open.

"E…lizabeth?" I breath, staring at the small girl in front of me.

She hiccups and runs towards me, wrapping her arms around my neck and burrowing her face into it. "_Ciel~!_ I'm s-so glad I f-found you. And it's Lizzie!"

I'm still motionless, frozen to my spot as the girl pulls away and looks at me with teary eyes and a brilliant smile.

"I've missed you so much, Ciel. When I heard you'd been reincarnated, it was the happiest moment I've felt in a hundred years," Lizzie says, her voice full of love.

I pull away from her grasp but stay close. "Lizzie, how…? You were reincarnated as well?" I choke out, staring at my cousin. Though I really shouldn't be that surprised with everything that's happened recently, I suppose.

She shakes her head, her blonde locks bouncing around. "Of course not, silly! I'm an angel and I've come to save you~!"

"An angel…" Before I could say anymore, I see a pair of pure white wings fold out from behind her back. I'm so shocked that I can merely stand there a gape at her. Then her words hit me and I frown. "Save me? From what?"

Lizzie's eyes darken uncharacteristically. "From that demon, of course. Ciel, I know you're a man of your word, but if you come with me right now we can leave him and live our lives together in Heaven!"

Her eyes have lightened up again by the time she finishes speaking. "What? No I can't―" My words stop as another shimmer appears behind Lizzie and two forms are made. I'm once again gawking in wonder. "_Lucis? Jackson?_" No way. There's just _no_ way this is happening.

My 'mother's' eyes light up when she sees me and she gives me a warm smile. I can't help but notice the white dress she's in and the large wings on her back. "Ciel, it's so good to see you. I'm so happy you're alright," she gasps out as she runs over and hugs me to her. "When you left, I thought for sure that that demon had taken you."

I struggle against her hold. "Let go of me!" I shout at her. No later than those words escape my throat, I hear a predatory growl from behind me. Lucis and everyone else in the room freezes. Using this opportune moment, I manage to break away from Lucis. Before I can get anywhere though, something clutches at my arm and I see Lizzie giving me a pleading look.

"Demon," Jackson hisses. "Leave, go back to your realm. You are not wanted here!"

Sebastian gives him a dangerous smirk. "And if I don't? What can you do, mortal?" Then he notices Elizabeth and his eyes widen in amusement. Sebastian gives a fake bow. "Lady Elizabeth, I haven't seen you since my master's death. Please excuse my unprofessional attire."

Elizabeth glowers at him. "You! I can't believe I trusted you all those years ago, thinking that no matter what, you would be there to protect Ciel when I couldn't. And all along, you were the most dangerous of them all! You're horrible, despicable!"

"What terrible words you speak, Miss Elizabeth. It's not very cute at all," Sebastian teases and I notice Lizzie's glare intensify. "Now, if you may, I would appreciate it if you released my Bo-chan."

"It's too late demon," Lucis says confidently. "Ciel can come with us now, to Heaven where his soul will rightfully be salvaged. He has the opportunity to redeem himself now that he's not forced to be with you. You've lost."

"What are you talking about?" I snap at her. "You speak as if I've already agreed to this!"

Lucis blinks. "Pardon, Ciel. It's just so obvious that I figured you wouldn't mind if I spoke for you."

"Remember, Lucis, he's always been a proud boy," Jackson chides lightly.

"Oh that's right, I should've realized." Lucis shakes her head in disappointment. Then she gives me a smile. "Sorry honey, if you want to tell that horrible beast yourself, then go right ahead."

I stare at her with dull eyes. "Thank you." Then I turn to my butler. "Sebastian," I start out slowly and I notice a flicker of doubt cross his eyes, "you were right. I really should've stayed home today. Hurry up so we can go back."

Sebastian gives me a gentle smirk. "Yes, well, when I have finished with these angels, we may return home."

"What?" Lucis utters in disbelief, turning confused eyes towards me.

"As charming as this reunion has been, Lucis, I must be going. Sebastian, when you've concluded your investigation, meet me outside," I say and go to walk away. Unfortunately, I forgot about Lizzie's death grip on my arm. "Elizabeth, please release me."

"N-no! Ciel, you don't know what you're talking about! Sebastian may seem nice and caring, but he's a _demon_! He's only with you because he wants to eat your soul!" Lizzie cries out at me, pulling me backwards with her.

"Elizabeth, I know perfectly well what Sebastian is and that he wants to devour my soul. I came to terms with that years ago," I try to explain but she won't listen and keeps shaking her head negatively. I sigh. "Lizzie―"

"No, Ciel, you _don't _understand," Lizzie tries again.

"Elizabeth, I'm opening a passage way. Take Ciel and leave while I hold back the demon," Lucis says quickly, pulling out a sword.

Mine and Sebastian's eyes narrow. I try to pull away from Elizabeth as a white shimmering passage opens up. "Sebastian!" I call out, reaching out for him and almost pulling away, but Jackson grabs my other arm and drags me away.

"Bo-chan!" Sebastian shouts out, starting to move towards me but a sword intercepts him. He turns his enraged ruby eyes towards the angel and as quick as lighting, throws three well aimed knives at Lucis. That's the last thing I see before I'm drug through the portal.

"Sebastian!" I cry out again, fighting against the two holding me back. Then Lucis appears through the passage, a knife embedded in her arm. It closes and I'm left in the presence of the two angels and Jackson. Infuriated, I shout at them. "Let me go, damn it!"

To my surprise, they do. Then I realize it's because I can't escape on my own. Defeated, I let my anger boil down slightly and glance around the room. It's so cheery I feel like I'm going to throw up. The room is the complete opposite of Sebastian's beautiful, dark, Victorian styled mansion. The walls are painted a bubblegum pink and there's many stuffed animals lining a fluffy canopy bed. I assume this is Elizabeth's room.

"Ciel?" Lizzie asks worriedly. She flinches when she meets my livid eyes. "W-why are you so mad? We were just trying to protect you…"

"Why?" I snarl. "_Why?_ You just _kidnapped_ me."

"It's not kidnapping when we're your parents. We're just bringing you back to where you belong," Lucis explains with slightly forced calmness.

"You're not my parents and I do not belong here. I belong in the farthest depths of Hell with Sebastian. My fate was sealed when I made that contract with him," I tell them scathingly.

Elizabeth hugs me. "Ciel, you may think you belong there for the crimes you committed, but your soul is still pure. All those horrible missions were in the name of the Queen, you were only doing what you had to."

I look down at the girl. "Elizabeth, you do not know half the things I've done. You may know that I was the Queen's Watchdog and that I got rid of many people in the underworld, but you can't realize just how many people were killed because of me."

"Don't say that," Elizabeth murmurs, shaking her head.

"Well it's the truth, Elizabeth!" I roar. "And don't go saying it doesn't count because Sebastian killed them, I've taken life as well!"

Elizabeth sniffles and steps back. Lucis comes over and puts an arm around her. "Come, Miss Elizabeth. Let's let Ciel cool down for now. This all must come as a shock to him."

I watch as Elizabeth sadly walks away with my false parents. My breathing is heavier and I glower at the spot they left before taking a seat at her desk. I don't dare touch the stuffy covered bed.

_Damn it, Sebastian_, I think to myself. _Hurry up and find a way to get me out of here_. However, there's a slight part of me that's dreading when Sebastian does come. He'll try to kill everyone for sure. I don't care about Lucis and Jackson, but Lizzie is a different story. No matter how much she annoys me, I can't dislike her. She's my cousin, the only family I have left.

Suddenly, I freeze. If I'm in Heaven then…Mother and Father! They must be here too! And Aunt An― oh wait, she's probably in Hell. For once, there's hope in my eyes. I might be able to see my parents one last time before I'm dragged back down to Hell. Resolved to make the most of this time with Lizzie and perhaps my parents, a small but true smile appears on my lips.

I get up from my seat and walk over to the door, surprised to find it open. Looking down the hallway inquisitively, I start to explore the rooms. To my disappointment, the first couple are just extra bedrooms. However, the third room I go into seems to be a music room. I walk in and glance at the grand piano in the corner. Then my eyes catch on a case― a violin case. My fingers twitch eagerly to play. I haven't been able to play mine since all this mess started.

Ignoring the fact that this isn't even my own violin, I take it carefully out of the case and glide the bow across the strings to test out the sound. It's absolutely beautiful. I don't believe I've ever heard one with such a magnificently pure tone. Almost immediately, I start playing a song that I've known forever. I remember how long it took me to learn this piece with Sebastian's teachings, though I managed to do it eventually. The bow glides up and down, my other hand pressing down on the strings when needed. I find myself getting lost in the beautiful melody as it slows down and speeds up at appropriate parts, my eyes closing, having memorized the hand movements perfectly. A couple minutes in, the bow movements become shorter as the speed of the minor melody increases and I frown slightly, focusing solely on the tragic sounding voice of the violin calling out to me. Then, it slows down once again until it ends on a beautiful but sad note. Carefully lowering the violin, I open my eyes to see Lizzie staring at me in wonder.

"That was… even more beautiful than the last time I heard you play that, Ciel," Lizzie whispers and comes over.

I blink. "You heard me play this? I can't recall ever playing this with anybody but Sebastian."

"Ah, I must've overheard it…" Lizzie tenses when I mention the demon. "What was it called again?"

I frown in thought. "Sebastian never told me. The bastard wrote the title in a different language."

Lizzie's eyebrow ticks. "Why didn't you ever search up the composer then?"

I stare at her. "Because Sebastian _is_ the composer. He wrote it while he served as my butler."

"The demon wrote that?" Lizzie chokes out.

"Yes. Do you have a problem with that?" I ask with narrowed eyes. Honestly, what is Lizzie's problem? She's acting odd.

Lizzie looks away. "No…" she says slowly before looking back and asks desperately, "Ciel, why are you so attached to him?"

"We have a contract―"

"Not just that!" Lizzie interrupts. "You memorized his song, but do you even remember the one you learnt for me? I'm your fiancée, doesn't that mean anything?" she cries out, upset. "A-and that day, you promised me that the next time I saw you that we'd plan o-our wedding, but you never came back! You never came back, Ciel. I w-was so worried and alone. You p-promised―"

She cuts herself off and I can tell she's on the verge of tears. I look at her with soft eyes. "Lizzie, I'm sorry that I broke my promise. I hadn't planned to be killed like that."

"But you did plan on dying, right Ciel?" Lizzie asks coldly. "It was unavoidable with that monster in tow. We never would've had a future together even if you hadn't been killed that day."

I look away. "I'm sorry, but I can't change what happened. It's already been decided that I will spend my eternity in Hell."

Lizzie takes my face in her hands. "But it doesn't have to be written in stone." She looks me directly in the eye and says four words that make me feel guiltier than I've ever felt in both of my lives, "I love you, Ciel." I'm frozen to the spot, my eyes having widened considerably at her words. "I always have and always will. Stay with me. Your mother and father are waiting as well. Forget your pain and come spend eternity with the people who love you. You don't have to be miserable."

My heart clenches painfully. It's oh so tempting to just agree with her and return to my parents, spending forever happy in Heaven― but would I truly be happy? That part of me, that innocent, cheerful child, is gone forever. It was completely annihilated when I was raped and tortured for that month, when I shot that man and had those innocent children killed. A shiver passes through me as I remember the burning manor and Sebastian murdering Freckles― known as Doll to most― as well. No, I do not deserve to go to Heaven after everything that I've done. Even if Lizzie is offering a chance to redeem myself, I won't. Everything that's happened to me has led to who I am now and I am not willing to throw that away. I have more pride and honor than that. Sebastian is expecting me to hold my word that I will give him my soul and I _will not_ disrespect him by lying.

"I can't," I whisper quietly. Turning my eyes back to hers, I continue with more strength, "You said I don't have to be miserable; you're wrong. It's who I am now. Perhaps you've blocked it out, but I am not a good person, Elizabeth. I am cold, distant, unforgiving, calculating, selfish, controlling." I give her a small smile. "I do care for you, Lizzie, and for mother and father too, but I cannot join you in Paradise. My soul has been tainted and shrouded in darkness for far too long to be able to see the light again."

Lizzie stares at me, disbelief shining in her eyes. She backs away slowly before turning around and sprinting out the door. I watch her sadly but don't regret what I've said. It's better if she knows the truth instead of letting her get hurt later.

Raising the violin back to my throat, I let the bow glide again, playing the song that I had learnt for Elizabeth all those years ago.

* * *

><p>It's a little while later when Lucis and Jackson come to visit me. I'm sitting at the piano, plunking at a few keys without much enthusiasm. Back when I was an earl, I had learnt the piano as well, though it isn't nearly as good as my violin skills.<p>

I look up at them harshly. "What do you want? And when can I go back? It's terribly boring here."

"Ciel, honey, you're not going back," Lucis says sweetly, playing her part of an angel perfectly.

"You belong here with us," Jackson agrees roughly.

"Like hell I do," I respond haughtily. "I've already gone through this with Elizabeth and do not wish to repeat myself. I don't understand why you won't let me go."

Lucis' cheery demeanor disappears. "We've tried to be nice and let you realize it by yourself, but it's clear your mind has been tampered with. You truly don't understand what he's capable of, and we _need_ you, Ciel. You're the one from the prophecy, the one who's going to bring down Hell."

I look give them a cold look. "You're mental."

Lucis lets out a sigh. "Jackson, we'll have to forcefully show him just how terrible that beast he places his faith in really is."

"Wha―" I start but I'm grabbed by a pair of strong arms and thrown over the man's shoulders. "Hey! Put me down!"

They ignore me and lead me to another room as I struggle against Jackson's hold. It's futile and I'm placed in a chair in a rather dark room. Binds wrap around my arms and legs, holding me there.

"What are you doing?" I demand.

"Showing you what this demon does regularly," Lucis speaks and fiddles around with something unknown behind me. There's a sudden light and a screen appears on the wall. I realize it's some sort of footage. "Human technology is oh so useful. This is real video footage, mind you."

A first scene appears and I see Sebastian next to an angel who's lying in a pool of blood. He's smirking sadistically and raises a pointed boot to crush the other creatures head, painstakingly slow. Its screams echo through the room and I shiver, turning my eyes away as the head splatters open, spraying the lens with blood and brain. Another scene comes on and I hear Sebastian clear voice.

"_Now, tell me," _Sebastian starts, grinning down at another holy being and pulling at its hair. _"__Who was it that has been leaking information to you?"_

I cringe as the angel spits in his face. Sebastian wouldn't take too well to that. As expected, Sebastian's lips twitch dangerously. "_You'll wish you hadn't done that_." I watch as he digs his fingers into the connecting joint of the wing. "_I'll ask you again_: who has been giving you this information?"

The angel puts on a face of stubbornness and says, "_I'd rather die than tell such a foul creature!_"

"_Oh, you'll wish for it in a moment, I assure you."_ My breathing picks up as I watch Sebastian rip the wing off easily, the tendons and veins hanging our in a bloody mess. I shut my eyes at the horrible sight, trying to hold back this sickness. The scene continues and Sebastian manages to get her to speak. I listen intently when she mentions the prophecy and try to ignore the blood and gore covering both of them. Then Sebastian, like the clever demon he is, manages to twist his promise of safety around and kills the angel, red eyes looking almost ecstatic as black flames devour the corpse.

There are more scenes with Sebastian questioning and torturing angels and humans, sometimes ripping deep gashes in them with his claws, other times tearing limbs off of their bodies amusingly. When it finally ends, I'm surprised I've managed to hold back my vomit. Maybe it has to do with the fact that it's only footage and not actually happening directly in front of me. I can't smell the coppery liquid and feel the warm blood as it splashes across me. Still, I close my eyes and take several deep breaths.

"Do you see now what kind of monster he is? He'd been hiding this from you but now that you know―"

"You are correct in saying that I've never actually seen Sebastian do these things," I start out. "However, that is only because Sebastian has always protected me and made sure that I wasn't watching. If you think that by showing me these videos I am going to side with you, then you are bigger fools than I originally thought. As far as I'm concerned, you're worse than Sebastian by taping such acts and _forcing_ people to watch them. You disgust me."

I walk past them and open the door to a random room before locking myself in it. While laying down on the bed, I burry my face in my hands. I've always known that it's in Sebastian's nature to commit acts like that, but actually having to see them is a whole different realization. What he did…was revolting, and I sincerely hope that I'll never have to witness such scenes again. That said, I don't fear him nor do I not want him to come and rescue me.

The thought of trying to escape myself has passed my mind, but I've ruled it out with a few key errors in that plan. One: How am I supposed to get past the angels, supernatural beings far stronger than myself? Two: Say I do manage to get out, where am I supposed to go? It's not like I can get back to the human realm myself. Three: If I get out, how is Sebastian supposed to find me? It'll be easier to just stay put.

I don't really care about seeing Mother and Father anymore. I've had enough of these angels to last me a life time. If I could, I would like to say good bye to my parents, not having the chance when they were stolen from me, but I doubt that chance will arise with Lizzie, Lucis and Jackson pissed at me for not joining the 'light side'. As far as I'm concerned, there's no point of me being here any longer.

So hurry it up, you damn demon!

* * *

><p><em>~3<em>_rd__ Person POV~_

Zachary walks determinedly towards his boss, the Head of the Board.

Dresdner looks over his shoulder as he hears footsteps. "Oh, Zachary. What is it?"

"It's about Sutcliff, Sir―"

"We've already discussed this, Zachary. Sutcliff is innocent, it was an imposter," Dresdner says with an annoyed tone.

"Sir, I believe I have proof that he was involved in that incident," Zachary tries to convince him.

Dresdner narrows his eyes. "You say you have _proof_?"

Zachary nods his head. "I believe so, Sir. If you give me permission to retrieve Daniele's cinematic records, I can show you."

"You want to invade his privacy like that? It's a common respect to not read the books of other Shinigami," Dresdner says, shocked by what Zachary has asked. Usually he is very compliant to the rules.

"No, I do not wish to see his records. If you just allow me to show you, I believe you will be convinced."

Dresdner looks at him uncertainly but nods his head. "If it can help us with this Michaelis case, then yes, I give you permission. Let's go."

Zachary nods his head and they start walking briskly from the main building. Once they get outside, they take to the roofs to stay out of the pedestrians' paths and start sprinting along them. Soon enough they can see the magnificent sight of the Library on top of the sand colored mountain. They easily jump to a ledge on the side of the steep cliff and keep jumping from ledge to ledge. There's a road that leads to the Shinigami Library, but it would've taken longer. This is a more direct path.

Once they get to the top, they walk inside of the building calmly, not having even broken a sweat from scaling the side of the rocky mountain. They walk through the rows of books and head toward the section reserved for Shinigami.

D…D… In a row above Dresdner's own, Zachary spots Daniele's book and pulls it out. He flips it open to the latest pages and backs up to the day where Michaelis invaded the library.

"Zachary, what is it you wish to show me?" Dresdner demands.

"_This_." Zachary points to a small paragraph.

'_When questioned by the Board and others, Lance thinks at first that the man he saw dressed in red was Grell Sutcliff, but then realizes it was another demon in disguise to try and get past the security. The demon's accomplice was none other than Sebastian Michaelis, who Grell speaks of often.' _

"Look closely at the writing style. It's very similar to the previous writing, but there are a couple differences. The loops of the 'S' is the most noticeable difference, though there's others. Who ever wrote this was in too much of a rush to copy the style exactly," Zachary points our gruffly.

Dresdner is staring intently at the writing. "…As much as I wish it wasn't true, you are right, Zachary. This section has been written intentionally to alter Daniele's actions. We should run it by Carmine quickly to be sure."

"…All right," Zachary agrees, though he's itching to bring Sutcliff down as soon as possible. As they're making their way back down to the main building, he notices Dresdner is very distracted, almost slipping one time on the rocks.

Areal Carmine is another member of the Board. He specializes in the tampering of Cinematic Records, whether the book has been misused or the actual Records themselves have been tampered with. It's rumored that Undertaker and Carmine had been partners for many of the years that Undertaker was a Shinigami, thus Carmine knows almost as much as Undertaker about how to manipulate Records. In theory, he is a _very_ dangerous man and nobody wants a repeat of those 'Bizarre Dolls' running around. Unfortunately, his knowledge on the concept is too valuable and thus he remains in the Board.

The two important Shinigami walk through the hallways with an air of superiority that causes everyone in their path to back away rapidly. They reach Carmine's office and open the door to find him studying something under a magnifying glass. He looks up as they enter.

"Dresdner, what brings you here?" Carmine asks in interest, putting down the glass object.

"We believe we have found proof of treachery amongst our Shinigami. We would like your opinion and confirmation that Daniele's Cinematic Record book has been tampered with," Dresdner explains shortly, dropping the book open on the specific page. He points to the passage with a bony finger.

"Hmm? The reaper that Michaelis impaled to the wall?" Carmine leans in closely and takes the previously discarded magnifying glass to examine it. "…Yes. The style in the writing is slightly off. It looks as if it was written rather quickly, though there's at least some effort to make it resemble the previous writing. I must say that it's a rather impressive attempt for someone who was trying to get this done after they had impaled Daniele but before we showed up."

"All right, now that we have proof, let's hurry up and get Sutcliff already," Zachary buts in impatiently. He turns to go, but a hand grabs his arm to stop him.

"…Sutcliff doesn't have the necessary tools to do this. Only Shinigami of higher ranking have a Death Bookmark and Quill," Dresdner says while looking away. "Which leaves…"

"William T. Spears, who lied to defend Sutcliff." Zachary smiles sardonically. "I knew that bastard was up to no good, but _you_ wouldn't believe me."

Dresdner refuses to answer that, still disconcerted by the fact that one of the men he trusts most is actually guilty for this terrible crime. He had been wrong, terribly mistaken. Truly, Dresdner had thought he could trust Spears. And then there's Sutcliff. His acting was impeccable, clearly staged. In fact, they had probably planned the whole thing out from allowing Michaelis in, to Spears pretending to find the body, and then to lie and say that Sutcliff was in his office with him the whole time. Dresdner feels like an idiot for falling for their ploy.

"Zachary, you and I will find Spears and arrest him," Dresdner starts. "Carmine, I'm leaving you to find Sutcliff. Beware that he'll most likely not take too kindly to being apprehended."

"Oh, do not worry. We _all_ know what that 'man' is like," Carmine speaks with an annoyed tone. "I remember the first day I saw that fool…He ripped apart forty-seven of our best stimulators in the Shing'academy. It was terribly impressive. Then the next time I saw him after his final exam, he was strutting about down the halls, confessing his love to Spears while wearing _red_ _high heels_. I don't know _what_ happened during that exam, but I definitely preferred him when―"

"Carmine! This is no time for story telling!" Dresdner snaps. "You can rant on about Sutcliff later when you have him cuffed and behind bars."

Carmine huffs but nods his head and disappears down a corridor. Zachary and Dresdner make their way to Spears' office.

William is sitting at his desk, filling out paper work when his door slams open. About to harshly scold anyone for so rudely barging in, he stops himself as he notices Dresdner and Zachary.

He gets up to bow politely to them. "Good day, Sir. Wha―"

"William T. Spears, you are under arrest for conspiring with Grell Sutcliff in the allowances of a demon into our realm and our Library, permitting it to read Cinematic Records, lying outright to the Board about evidence for this crime, protecting a guilty man and for altering another Shinigami's Cinematic Record."

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><p>Alois huffs moodily, starring at his fingernails in frustration as he lies on the bed. It's so boring here without Ciel… Anne-Marie amused him for a while, but it just isn't the same! She didn't hit him for saying something idiotic, or scold him for wearing obscenely short shorts or even point and laugh at him for doing crazy, life risking stunts. Okay, Ciel didn't really point and laugh, per say, but he did always have an amused look on his face.<p>

"_One of these days, Alois, you're going to get yourself killed." Ciel chuckled, staring at the blond who had just fallen out of the large pine tree. _

_Alois looked up and gave him a pout. "You say that as if you want me to die."_

"_You state that like you expected something else."_

"Oh Ciel, I miss you soo~ much right now," Alois hums as he clutches his previously discarded portrait of Claude to his chest.

There's a sudden tap at the window and Alois' head whips towards it. His eyes widen and he drops the painting, backing away from the window and falling off the bed in the process.

"Hello, Danna-sama," the form says politely.

"What do you want?" Alois asks in a startled tone, staring up at the figure.

"There's something we must discuss. It will be of the utmost interest to you, I assure you," the smooth voice says convincingly.

"Screw off! Nothing you have to say could interest me," Alois says, anger starting to wear off his initial shock.

The person leaps off the window and pulls the smaller boy into a hug. "Danna-sama…" It murmurs in his ear and whispers a secret, feeling Alois go stalk still in their hold. "Come with me and I'll explain everything."

"Alright," Alois whispers, laying his head on the familiar form and allowing it to carry him away.

* * *

><p><strong>Oh my, it's getting intense! Well, not really, but I like to think it's interesting...I hope... Anyway, there's going to be more yaoi in the next chapter. YAY! (everyone's probably like, <em>finally<em>) Heh, sorry 'bout the delay but I try to keep them in character as much as I can... Anyway, I'm super tired, can't think, should probably be doing homework instead of this, but I decided to update cause I love you guys. Please feel free to leave me a review if you want me to continue this story ^^ Heh, next chapter we get to see how Will's faring life in prison (what ever you do, don't bend over, Will! O.o), if Ciel ever gets out of that God forsaken place full of *shiver* _angels_, and maybe we'll see who's come to visit our dear Alois ^^ Oh, and Grell will be in the next chapter too ^^ See ya!**


	11. Escaping, Saved by a Demon and Shinigami

**Hello~ ^^ Heh, I spent a bunch of my time writing this yesterday and didn't compete the assignment I didn't know was due for today... And now here I am still writing and finishing it today, just because I love you guys so much~ As always, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and please feel free to leave me feedback 'cause I love hearing it! Umm, I'm super surprised by the length of this chapter; it might be my longest yet (either this one or ch7)! I hope that you enjoy it even though I know some don't like super long chapters but if I cut it in half, it'd have a weird flow to it (I think...). Oh and there's a _ton_ of Grell in the beginning, so YAY if you like him ^^ Sebastian is pretty much in this whole chapter too, but no Alois :( I honestly don't know if he'll have too much of a major role for the next few chapters but we'll see... So yeah. Instead of listening to my babbling, you'd probably rather I just shut up and you can read the chapter. **

**P.S. English Honors is a BITCH. If you consider going into it, BE WARNED. Maybe it's just my teacher, though. She's intimidating as Hell O.O She's this older, very proper styled lady and I haven't even seen her smile once. Super super scary and stressful and I'm pretty sure I failed my paragraph today because the subject was so fricking hard... -_-; **

**P.P.S. Oh and there's a yaoi scene at the bottom but it's not very graphic in my opinion so I'm almost 100% sure it's still 'T' rating. Just thought I'd mention it if you're, I dunno, squeamish or something ^^;**

**Warnings*Mature language, sexual scenes, Yaoi, a couple OCs :( , gore, spoilers for whole manga/anime**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji, Yana Toboso does (she's brilliant. Love her.)**

* * *

><p><em>~3<em>_rd__ Person POV~ After Zachary gets back from the demon realm but before William gets arrested…_

Grell is walking past Zachary's office when he hears his name mentioned. Frowning and not approving of talking about him behind his back, he cautiously looks around and when he sees that no one is watching, he presses his ear close to the door.

"…now we have the evidence to put Sutcliff behind bars, and ultimately exiled. We just have to show the boss the proof that he helped that demon." That is definitely Zachary's voice ringing through the door, though he sounds like he is trying to keep his voice a little lower.

"Are you sure we should trust that thing?" A younger voice asks. Grell tries to pick out who it belongs to but is unsuccessful.

"Yes, they usually pride themselves on never lying. Now go away. I'm going to confront Dresdner about it soon after I finish with this."

Grell wastes no time in racing back down the other way of the hall as he hears two simultaneous 'yes, sir's. Once he's sure he won't be found out by those two, he pauses to reflect the situation, his eyes wide and heart beating rapidly.

Zachary really knew, and this time he's found evidence, apparently. Now, the logical thing to do would be to cut Zachary up into little chunks with his Death Scythe, but that would result in more paper work and getting into trouble with William, yet again. So, Grell decides he should run away. If he can't face his problems directly, then Grell figures he'd just have to hide from them.

Grell nods his head once in satisfaction with his plan and walks rapidly out of the front door. It would not do well to dilly-dawdle around until Zachary tells Dresdner on him, resulting in him getting exiled. A shiver passes through him at the thought. This truly is more serious than he is willing to admit, so he ignores it and races to his apartment.

Being the brilliant actress he is, Grell is sure he can pull off the awkward butler he once played while he 'served' Madame Red. Grell smiles softly as he removes his beloved red coat he had taken from the corpse of that magnificent lady that had so disappointed him.

"Ahh Madame, we could've had something beautiful…" he murmurs softly as he folds the jacket and places it in a black brief case looking bag. Then Grell grabs his boring black jacket and pulls it over his body. Doing up the buttons carefully, Grell heads towards the bathroom.

He reaches under the cabinets and pulls out a packet of brown hair dye. Oh how he wishes he would never have had to use this dreadful stuff again. Covering his radiant rouge hair in this dull brown is always a scarring experience for him, but Grell knows he has to if he wants to pull off his plan. It's lucky no one saw him the last time he pulled off this appearance; not even William had seen him, for he had come after Grell had revealed himself.

Running the dye through his hair carefully to coat every strand, the Shinigami then runs a comb through it as well to get any extra pile up of the odd liquid. It's an invention that only the Shinigami had so far: liquid hair dye (not that gooey stuff humans use) that comes out when wetted. Grell wonders briefly if he has time to blow dry his hair but decides against it, towel drying it instead. Then he realizes he got excess dye all over the towel and throws it in the garbage can in frustration.

Grell pulls his hair back and ties it up, leaving a few loose strands in front. He pouts at the sight of brown hair again and then realizes he'll have to take off his make up as well or else he would receive bizarre looks from others. Pouring make up remover onto a cotton ball, he wipes it off gently. There. Now the only things determining who he is are his ruby glasses. Grell replaces them with the simple glasses he had worn before completing his exam at the Shinig'academy and is once again that timid butler he had been a century ago. He places his glasses preferred in his bag.

Step one, disguise: complete. Now, step two would be to pack up necessities and to leave. Looking in his closet, Grell stares with a stumped look. Only necessities, only necessities… Then a thought hits him.

_I have mansions all around the world, why would I even need to pack_? So instead, he grabs what little hair dye is left, his mini scissors of DEATH~ just in case he needs a Death Scythe (using his chainsaw would've been a dead give away), a mirror and a bottle of mascara.

All right, he's set. Grell walks out the door into the afternoon sun, taking his key with him and locking the door. Quite suddenly, he has the unexplainable urge to go see William before he leaves. However, he should've thought of that before he put on his disguise. If William sees him in it, it'll blow his cover. That said, he still doesn't know what Will is hiding from him! Grell bites his lip nervously. Is it worth it to see Will one last time before he leaves?

Before he can change his mind, he's sprinting down the back alleyways and hiding in the large shadows of the buildings, making his way back to his work building. It's not like they'd recognize him anyway; he can just say he's a student if anyone does bother him. As he approaches the building, he goes to the backside, knowing that William's office faces the view and not the main city. Grell starts scaling the building, using his incredible balance to jump from the ledges under the windows to go up the floors. William's office is on the eleventh floor, twenty-sixth room to the right. Grell only knows this because he tends to sneak into his office many times when he wishes to see William but does not want to actually have to walk through the building and get coerced into doing paperwork.

Approaching the slightly opened window silently, Grell is about to push his way through it when he hears a voice.

"William T. Spears, you are under arrest for conspiring with Grell Sutcliff in the allowances of a demon into our realm and our Library, permitting it to read Cinematic Records, lying outright to the Board about evidence for this crime, protecting a guilty man and for altering another Shinigami's Cinematic Record." That's Dresdner's voice! Wait, Will altered a Shinigami's Record? When was that?

Then it clicks. That's what Will had been hiding from him. Grell suddenly feels as if he is crushed by guilt. Will is being arrested…because he had been trying to protect him! No, this isn't fair. But… what good what it do to turn himself in as well?

"Do you deny these claims?" Dresdner asks sternly.

"…No, sir," William says after a moment.

Dresdner nods his head towards Zachary, who in turn produces a pair of handcuffs while wearing a shit-eating grin, in Will's opinion. In fact, William would very much like to rub his face in shit and see if he would still be grinning like that, but it's rather impossible at the moment.

Regret floats in William's mind. _Damn it, I knew that was an idiot idea. Grell, you bastard, why the hell can't you ever follow the damn rules for once? _However, he can't find it in himself to regret the fact that he did it for Grell. No, he's pissed because he should've taken the time to perfect his writing. Such a stupid, silly mistake because he was too lazy to cover his tracks flawlessly. And now here he is, paying for it by being sent to prison.

With a click, the handcuffs are locked tightly around Will's wrist, digging into his flesh and leaving burning red marks. It heals quickly of course, but it's still an inconvenience.

Then Carmine bursts through the door. "I can't find Sutcliff!" he yells desperately, out of breath. "I've searched his office, but nobody's seen him lately. I've sent some other members of the Board to search his apartment, but he doesn't seem to be in the building."

"What?" Dresdner shouts. "He should be here! There's no way he could know we're looking for him. SPEARS!" he roars, his calm demeanor now lost as he glares at the man who shattered his trust so perfectly.

"What is it, Sir?" William drawls emotionlessly, unmoved by the furious Shinigami. However, his mind is in a frenzy. _Grell escaped? _How?_ I shouldn't be surprised though, of course he'd just leave at the first sign of trouble. Why should he get scolded when I can take the blame? Does he even realize how many times I've saved his ass―!_

"Where is Sutcliff? I demand you tell me!" Dresdner says loudly.

Outside, Grell flinches. That had been too close. If he had taken the time to blow dry his hair like he had wanted to originally, they would've caught him.

"I honestly have no idea where Sutcliff is at the moment. Even though I may seem it, I'm not his baby sitter and do not care at all where he goes in his free time as long as his work gets handed in on time."

Grell winces slightly. _Ouch, William~. _

Dresdner lets out a frustrated noise. "Damn. Carmine, you spread the word that if Sutcliff is seen, he is to be apprehended and taken immediately to us. Also, warn those who do not know that they should not try to take him on alone as he's far too dangerous for that. I don't care if he's barely hanging onto life, just as long as they get him to me."

Will's eyes sharpen at those harsh words. His boss has just given permission to basically kill Sutcliff on sight; that is, if they are able to. William has seen him fight and knows all to well what that gender confused idiot is capable of. If anyone is unlucky enough to chance upon him, they had better have a large group of Shinigami or else Sutcliff will literally tear them to shreds.

His thoughts are broken as he's shoved rudely forward, forced to walk in front of Dresdner and Zachary down the hall. By now, everyone has heard of the commotion and is wondering what there boss could be shouting about. They're stunned by the sight of their superior, William T. Spears, walking down the hallway with his head held high and hands cuffed behind his back. William. T. _Spears _is being arrested? There's no way that can be true, he's always so by the book, there's just _no way_. And yet, there he is…

Grell stands on the ledge solemnly, letting the hot sun glare down on him. _William…_ There would be a change of plans, it seems. Before Grell can run away and hide, he'd have to rescue Will first.

Now, what did he know about where they were taking Will? It isn't usually too heavily guarded because the prison cells are made out of neutralizing material that Shinigami's are unable to break. That is the main dilemma: how is he supposed to get Will out of there when he isn't even able to bring down the cell?

He needs something or someone that isn't related to Shinigami, and that's where Sebas-chan comes in. Surely Grell can find a way to get his Sebby-chan to help him save Will. Grell casts one last glance at William's window before chopping a passage way to his manor in Paris. Jumping through it, his world is white for a brief moment.

Autumn trees begin to fade into view and he's beside at mansion again. He looks around and frowns when he can't sense the demon's presence here. Taking off at a run, he opens the front door of the building. Grell spots a maid who's frozen to the spot at the sudden burst into the entrance.

"Anne-Marie, where is Sebas-chan?" Grell demands as he saunters over to the stunned maid.

She stutters out, "Monsieur, y-you can not just barge in 'ere!"

Grell blinks and then remembers his disguise. "_Anne-Marie, c'est moi, Grell_. I'm in disguise, but that's beside the matter. Where has my darling Sebas-chan gone? I don't sense him here."

"Mademoiselle Grell?" she asks nervously. "_A-ah, excuser-moi, s'il vous plait ! _I 'ave not seen Master Sebastian or Ciel since you left. Master Alois was 'ere up until last night but zen he disappeared!"

"What?" Grell gets out, surprised. Where had Sebas-chan run off to with the brat? They could honestly be anywhere. What's strange is that they left that kid― Alois― here, who seems to have disappeared as well. Sarcastically, he says, "Well this is just great! Now William is going to be stuck in prison and exiled because of me! I need to help him, but I need Sebas-chan to do that…"

Anne-Marie bows apologetically, uneasy as she notices her Master seems to almost be shaking and holding back tears. She must be quite desperate to save William. Formally, Anne-Marie has never actually met this William, though she has heard stories about him from Mademoiselle Grell. It's such a romantic tale that Anne-Marie can't help but feel terribly upset that the man Mademoiselle cares so much for is in trouble.

_I'm so fucking useless, _Grell thinks angrily and in a fit of rage, he turns and drives a fist through the marble pillar, snarling as it cuts through the delicate flesh of his hand. He shakes his hand out, the blood splashing over the floor. Then the Shinigami hears Anne-Marie gasp and he turns to face her, expecting to see her bewildered by his act. Instead, he sees her staring fearfully at something behind him.

Grell whips around to find Sebastian standing there, a deadly aura around him. His eyes are glowing a demonic red and his lips are curled back in a furious growl revealing sharp teeth similar to those of a wolf's. Sebastian's entire face looks like its slightly hidden in shadows and the light around him is actually darker, as if some force is pushing it away.

"You," the demon hisses and grabs Grell's front jacket, not even bothering to question his odd appearance. "You are going to help me get into Heaven."

Grell snarls back at him. "No."

Sebastian's eyes narrow and flash dangerously, the shrunken pupils focused completely on Grell. "What?"

"I said _no_. Release me this instant, Sebas-chan," Grell snaps, not liking being demanded to do things. Sebastian's coldness is usually a major turn-on for him, but this…this is different. Grabbing Grell and ordering him to do something like a slave, Grell most certainly is _not_ okay with this attitude towards him. Sebastian isn't even his normal cold, he's lethally serious at the moment and the Shinigami doesn't like this change in his demeanor.

Instead of listening to Grell, Sebastian pulls him closer so that he's almost touching noses with him. "If you don't help me I will tie you up and rip your precious manicured nails off one at a time and set fire to your hair," he whispers.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Grell glares at him before slapping him as hard as he can. When the demon's head whips to the side with the force, Grell feels an ounce of triumph come over him. Then Sebastian raises his eyes to his own and it quickly dissipates. In less than a second, the demon has him shoved up against a wall, using enough pressure to start cracking the bones in the wrists he's pinned there.

Grell's head falls back as a quiet moan of pain escapes his lips. The demon doesn't loosen up but puts more pressure on his delicate wrists. He can hear another crack and a gasp escapes his lips at the agony. Grell tries to tell himself that there's nothing erotic about having this delicious demon pushing him up against a wall, except he can't help but feel a little aroused as Sebastian's breath passes across his lips.

"They've taken him," Sebastian says quietly, after a moment.

Grell's eyebrows furrow and he looks like he's going to say something but instead his eyes suddenly clench and he hisses as the demon unintentionally clenches his hands. Realizing this, Sebastian loosens his grip and Grell reopens his eyes after a moment. "H-huh?" he releases his breath shakily.

"The Angels have taken my Bo-chan," Sebastian says with more force. "I want him back but I am unable to get into Heaven."

Grell looks at him with mixed emotions. "Why do you care so much for that kid?" he asks, a sad tone to his voice. "No other demon would go to such lengths for a mere meal, though that's not what he means to you, is it? You're going to get yourself killed―"

"Why do you go to such lengths for Spears? _Do not be such a hypocrite, Grell_. I heard you say he's been apprehended and you want to get him out, even though you'll be risking your life going up against your own kind," Sebastian says.

Grell chuckles humorlessly. "I'm willing to go to such lengths because _I love him_¸ Sebastian. Are you saying you love Ciel?" His face turns into a snarl. "Damn it, Sebas-chan, you're not supposed to love the human boy!"

Sebastian's face darkens. "What a ridiculous notion. Demons do not love. I will admit to having a slight infatuation with him because he has escaped me for so long that I _need_ to have him. That said, I am _not_ willing to let him redeem himself and join his family in Heaven."

Grell stares at him. "That's cruel, Sebas-chan. What if he's happy there? Have you ever thought he might want to be with his family?"

Sebastian pauses and his eyes widen slightly before narrowing again. "No. He wouldn't be happy there. He belongs with me in the darkest corner of Hell. And what should I care about the boy's happiness? Once I devour him, none of this will even matter. Besides, you are being hypocritical again." Grell's own eyes narrow as he waits for the demon to continue. "What about Spears? Have you ever thought _he_ might be happier if you weren't around?"

"What are you talking about?" Grell cries out, enraged. "William loves me―"

Sebastian sneers. "Are you so sure about that? All those times he's called you a nuisance, are you sure he wasn't serious? What about the times that he hits you because your mere presence annoys the shit out of him? Surely someone who loves you would not be so cruel. To him you are nothing more than a useless employee who gives him extra paper work and overtimes. You mean nothing to him― _less_ than nothing."

Every sentence Sebastian had spoken is like a dagger to his heart. During his speech, Grell's head had dropped to stare at the flooring. Slowly, he raises it back up and says to Sebastian quite calmly, "Let me go, Sebas-chan. _Let me go this instant_."

As Grell's tear filled eyes meet his, Sebastian feels his grip go loose on the reapers wrists and Grell walks past him, stopping with his front turned away. A few moments later, he speaks up again, looking back at Sebastian.

"Maybe you are right, Sebas-chan, and Will doesn't love me, but I know I love him. For now, that's enough for me. I have an eternity to spend with the one I care most about― unlike you. Even if you do manage to get Ciel back, you'll devour his soul. If you decide to let him live, he'll die of old age. Either way, you lose. Personally, I like my chances at happiness better than yours," Grell says with a soft voice. Sebastian doesn't have anything to say to that so he stays silent.

"M-Mademoiselle?" the timid voice of Anne-Marie speaks up after a couple minutes of silence and the two supernatural beings whip their heads toward her. Visibly frightened, she jumps slightly, but continues. "I-I am not sure what exactly is going on, but w-would not it be best if Master Sebastian 'elped you get Master William back and zen you in return 'elp 'im retrieve Master Ciel?"

Grell pauses and turns his eyes towards Sebastian's. "Sebas-chan, I need you to break into the prison cell. I can get us there but the cell is made of material that nullifies Shinigami strength and their Death Scythes, so I figured that a demon should be able to break it instead. If you do that, I will open a passage into Heaven for you."

Sebastian stares with calculating eyes at Grell. He doesn't really feel like going to help Spears escape from this jail. In fact, the whole situation amuses him greatly. However, it seems that Grell isn't willing to help him until he saves Spears. "Fine. I suppose I am going to need a disguise because surely I am no longer welcome in that realm." Sebastian smirks.

Grell waves a hand at it. "Your normal outfit should―" his tongue catches in his throat when he notices Sebastian isn't dressed in his usual butler outfit. Instead, he's donned some extremely attractive but casual clothing. "W-what happened to your butler outfit? Actually, never mind~ I have some spare outfits in my room."

Grell jumps up easily from the second floor banister to the third, Sebastian following after him. Anne-Marie gapes after them a moment before shaking her head and returning to cleaning the windows.

The Shinigami opens the door to a grand red room and walks over to his walk-in closet. It's more like a walk-in-separate-room-for-clothing. It's just as large as any other of the rooms in the house and absolutely filled to the top with expensive and beautiful looking clothing. Most of it is tones of red and black, though there's the occasional peek of white and purple through the masses. Grell digs through the hangers, looking for his spare uniform he keeps on the down chance that his is destroyed. Then he tosses it to Sebastian.

"It's unfortunate that out of all the clothing I have in this mansion you must wear such a drag uniform." Grell sighs disappointedly, regaining his normal demeanor as the time passes by. Being the respectful lady he is, Grell turns away from Sebastian as the demon changes.

Two seconds later, the demon speaks up. "What of my hair? And I believe I am in need of some glasses as well."

"That was quick," Grell mutters under his breath. "Hmm~ I should have some wigs in the design room and most likely some no-prescription glasses there…"

He leads Sebastian to another room and starts digging through drawers. Deciding that a blond wig with strait hair would work well, he hands it to Sebastian while looking for some glasses. Sebastian stares in distaste at the blond wig and reluctantly puts it on, the strait bangs falling in his face. Irritated, he whips his head to the side slightly and the bangs stay of his eyes for a little while.

"Aha!" Grell comes back triumphantly and places a pair of simple enough glasses with black frames on Sebastian's face. And then the happy look falls off his face. "Shit. What are we going to do about your eyes? As much as I love their brilliant crimson tint, all Shinigami have vibrant green eyes."

Though Sebastian is able to change his physical appearance, his eyes are something that always remain the same. If they are not a glowing red, they fade down to their neutral red umber color and it isn't possible to change them. Then he realizes something. "Tinted lenses. We need sunglasses so that they are unable to actually see my eyes."

That…is a brilliant idea. Grell nods and digs through more stuff, becoming frantic when he can't find any. Then, buried under a pile of dresses (he _swore_ he had hung those up on figurines the last time he was here…) there is a single pair of sunglasses. Sebastian takes them and replaces them with the ones he was wearing previously. Grell stares intently at him; Sebastian is completely unrecognizable.

"Alright. Let me grab my bag and then we'll go." They head back to the entrance hall where Grell had left his bag when he had first questioned Ann-Marie. Once he has it, he calls out his chainsaw and opens a portal back to his realm, then dismisses his chainsaw once again. The two supernatural beings walk through it.

When the world starts coming into view again, Sebastian notices they're beside a large building, similar to the Shinigami Library.

"This is wear they keep the prisoners until they've reached a verdict," Grell explains as they walk towards the entrance.

"I see. The Shinigami are much more considerate than my kind. I was tied to the wall of a cave and tortured until they decided my sentence, though it was only a hundred years," Sebastian says carelessly.

"Wait, what?" Grell stops and gawks at the demon. "_A hundred years_?"

"Yes. I was lucky it was such a short amount of time or else I would have missed my Bo-chan's reincarnation."

_Yes, because a century is _such_ a short period of time,_ Grell thinks sarcastically. If he had been the one chained up he surely would have gone insane from boredom, or the torture they had apparently inflicted upon Sebastian. That must be why Grell hasn't seen him since the late 1800s.

They walk into the main office and see a female reaper― to Sebastian's interest― and Grell walks shyly up to her, Sebastian following.

"Euhm, excuse me, miss," Grell says quietly and the lady looks up, giving him a polite smile. "I w-was wondering if I could, if possible, see the prisoner? Mr. Zachary told me to interrogate h-him while they search for Sutcliff."

"He did?" the secretary frowns. "One minute, let me look at the schedule to make sure…"

The woman begins to push around the papers that are in a mess on her desk. While she's doing this, Grell walks up silently behind her.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I don't―" her words stop as she realizes the uncomfortable man in front of her has disappeared. She gives the blond one a questioning look. Sebastian lowers his glasses and gives her a demonic look, pointing casually behind her. Fear runs through her and she tries to turn but there's a sudden great pressure at the base of her neck and she falls over, unconscious.

"Ah, that's too bad~" Grell murmurs and takes the key card hanging off of a chain on her hip. Then Grell walks over to the metal door and swipes the card in the slot. Sebastian watches with a dumbfounded look as it opens to reveal no guards.

"The security in this place is dreadful." Sebastian clicks his tongue disapprovingly.

Grell shrugs his shoulders. "Yes, but it makes my life a lot easier."

William T. Spears is lying on his uncomfortable cot in his cell when he hears the door slide open. He frowns and sits up, wondering if Dresdner and Zachary have come back to question him. Instead, he sees and awkward looking man walking cautiously down the hall of prisoners. Looking timidly into the cells, the man comes to a stop in front of Will's cell and stares with an uncertain frown into the cage, as if peering at William like he is some caged animal.

"What do you―" William was about to snap when he freezes. "_Grell?_"

William stares intently at the man. He has long brown hair pulled back into a pony tail, which Grell does not have. However, if he ignores the hair, the face is the same. The curve of his jaw, the shape of his nose, the light in his eyes… His suspicions are confirmed when the lips part in a delighted smirk, revealing dagger teeth and Grell winks at him suggestively.

"Shh," Grell whispers, raising a finger to his lips to accent the point. William can't believe it. Not only has Grell escaped the Board and every other Shinigami looking for him, but he's managed to sneak into the prison to free him. At least, that's what Will hopes he's here for.

Then Will spots someone he's never seen before.

"Who's that?" Will asks with a frown as he gets up. His eyes widen in horror as the man removes his glasses to reveal crimson eyes.

"I'd say it's nice to see you again, Spears, but it's really not. However, you're current situation does amuse me greatly." Sebastian smirks.

Will's eyes narrow dangerously. "Sutcliff, what were you thinking? Bringing that demon back into this realm! It's his fault this entire predicament has even happened."

"But Will~" Grell complains at being scolded. "Sebas-chan's the only one who can get you out of this cell."

"If you do not wish for my help, I'm more than willing to just let you rot in this cage," Sebastian says helpfully.

William ignores him pointedly and turns to sit back on his cot, refusing aid from a demon. Grell, on the other hand, isn't giving in so easily. "No, we have a deal, _dearest_ _Sebas-chan_. If you do not get William out of here then I'm not helping you, either."

In a menacing tone, the demon says, "I could just go back to my original plan of torturing it out of you―"

Sebastian's words are cut off as William's Death Scythe flies through the space between the metal bars and snips off the tip of his bangs. Stunned, Sebastian says nothing for a moment.

"Just because I'm behind bars doesn't mean I can't kill you, demon," Will threatens, retracting his weapon. "My Death Scythe may not be able to break through my prison but it can certainly penetrate your feeble flesh and bones."

Sebastian stares at William in annoyance. Then, he reaches forward and grabs the metal bars. Pulling at them confidently, he's surprised to find that whatever stops Shinigami from being able to break it by force also halts him. Sebastian notes with a hint of irritancy that a satisfied look appears over William's face. Now Sebastian wants to get the reaper out of the jail, if just so that he can wipe that smug smirk off his lips. Pausing for a moment, Sebastian reaches out again and pulls at the shadows silently. Immediately, they began to swarm the bars, licking at them like black flames. Both Shinigami are stunned to see a gaping, melted hole where the metal bars used to be.

Then the calm is broken by Grell crying out, "_Will~!_" and racing forward to wrap his arms around the stoic reaper. William's eyebrow twitches as he looks at the form pressed against him and uses his Death Scythe to poke Grell backwards.

"Ouch," Grell pouts, rubbing the spot where the pointed instrument had jabbed him.

"Grell, I do believe I completed my part of the deal, now…" Sebastian trails off, letting Grell finish it on his own.

"Oh fine!" Grell snaps and whips his chainsaw out of nowhere, almost hitting William in the face it and causing Sebastian to let out a silent laugh as Will glares at the gardening tool. "Go ahead and save that damn brat! It's not like I care if you get ripped to pieces strolling through your enemy's base."

Sebastian rolls his eyes. "Honestly, I will be fine. I'll find my Bo-chan quickly and then we will return to Hell."

Grell gives him an uncertain look but does open a passage for Sebastian. "I don't know where exactly you wanted to go but I assume you have means of finding him once you get into the realm?"

"Yes. As long as I am in the same realm as he I can use our contract mark to locate him," Sebastian explains as he walks towards the opening. As he's about to take a step in, a voice stops him.

"Sebas-chan, are you sure you won't need help?" Grell asks quietly.

Sebastian pauses. "I will be fine," he replies easily and walks through the passage with out any further though, leaving Grell staring at his disappearing form. The reaper isn't so sure if he should believe the demon. Can he really manage to locate the boy and escape without getting himself killed roaming the lions den? 'I will be fine.' That's what he had said, and Sebastian never lies. However, outright lying and being mistaken are two entirely different things.

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><p>Sebastian finds himself in the shade of a willow tree beside a cool river when he appears through the passage. It is so incredibly serene and peaceful, the little birdies chirping and rabbits running around and through cute bushes. Sebastian wants to destroy it, very badly. It would be highly comical to see just how pissed the Angels would be as he burnt Heaven down to a crisp core, the green fields becoming grey ash. Unfortunately, that would be counter productive as it would facilitate the Angels' chore of finding him. If he uses as little power as possible, Sebastian figures he might be able to mask his presence a little better so they won't discover him as quick.<p>

Sebastian removes the gloves covering his hands and focuses on the contract mark, making it burn as he determines where his Bo-chan is currently resting. A dark smirk crosses over his face as he realizes Ciel is very, very close by.

"Wait for me, Bo-chan." The demons voice is lost in the faint wind as he starts in a sprint towards where his Young Master is, leaving behind only a dark aura and frightened animals peering out from lush shrubs.

* * *

><p><em>~Ciel's POV~<em>

I wake up with a gasp, panting slightly. No visions plagued my dreams this time. Instead, there had been some extremely graphic scenes of Sebastian slaughtering those Angels, but then he had turned towards me with a wicked smile. I had been terribly confused, backing up as he continued to stalk closer to me.

A shiver passes through me. Damn that Lucis and Jackson. Because of those terrible videos, I have subconsciously begun to fear Sebastian. At least when I'm conscious I'm able to push away any doubts and bury them down with my reasoning, though. For now, that will have to do.

I wonder how long I've been asleep for. It doesn't feel very long, but then again, it's impossible to keep track of time when you're unconscious.

A crisp knocking sound surprises me and I conclude that that must've been what has woken me up. "Ciel?" a timid voice says from behind the wooden rectangle.

"Lizzie?" I frown and get up, walking over to the door. I open it and see Elizabeth trying very hard to give a brilliant smile but it's obvious that it is strained as her eyes are not as bright as usual. "What is it?"

"Ne, Ciel…" she carries off nervously and I urge her to carry on. "Mm, would you…perhaps like to…see your parents?"

I blink. "My parents?" I'm truly surprised Lizzie is even talking to me still; she had seemed extremely upset by our last encounter "Are they here?"

Lizzie nods her head, blonde curls whipping up and down. "Yes, they just arrived. We were planning on having afternoon tea with them…"

"I would very much like to see them again."

Lizzie's face lights up. "Really? Oh that's so great, Ciel! They'll be so happy to see you again!"

I force out a small smile at her happiness. Elizabeth grabs my arm and pulls me down the hallways, leading me to what I assume is the outside world. When she opens the door I'm met with burning sunlight, its only goal: to melt my retinas. I really haven't received a good first impression of Heaven. What with being kidnapped, forced to watch grotesque torture and burning, molten balls of fire trying to dissolve my eyes, I fear what will be next.

When the blinding light fades away, I'm able to see it's actually quite cheerful outside. The grass is the purest green I've ever seen and there are quite a few trees giving out a pleasant shade. I can only name a few: birch, oak, willow. For some illogical reason, it seems as if it's mid summer here instead of the autumn back in my realm. Then again, what part of Heaven _is _logical?

"They're in the back," Lizzie tells me and I follow her around the house. She leads me past bushes of daisies and tulips (perhaps I was wrong and it's actually spring?) to a generous area behind her home. And there, sitting under a large umbrella are the two people I never thought I would ever see again.

I walk calmly over to them as it would not do for a Phantomhive to act like an overexcited child, though I can tell Lizzie disagrees. It's clear that she wants me to race over to my parents, jumping up and down in joy at seeing them. Elizabeth must believe that if I got my parents back then everything would return to the way it was before I lost them. She's ignorant. You cannot just erase what has happened in the past.

"Mother, Father," I state maturely and the two of them whip around, clearly not having seen me walking from the other direction.

"Ciel," my mother exclaims, as if not believing it's me. She takes a slow step and then rushes up to hug me. I blink at the sudden affection. "How is it that you are here?"

She releases me and I stare up at her in surprise. "You do not know?"

She shakes her head. "No. I knew you had been reincarnated― Lucis told me― but no one informed us of your coming to Heaven. Are you dead?"

"No, I am not dead, Mother. Elizabeth brought me here," I say, leaving out the part that I was taken by force.

"We are both very much thankful, Miss Elizabeth. It's been so long since we've seen our boy," my Father speaks up.

"Father," I nod and hold my hand out, smiling up at the man I had idolized as I child. "I must say I'm very glad to have met with you up here. I have missed both of you dearly."

He looks slightly startled by my hand but recovers and shakes it, smiling back at me. "Indeed. You have grown up so much since the last time I saw you, Ciel. It makes me proud to see my boy so strong even after everything that has happened."

"You are aware of what happened after your death?" I ask inquiringly.

My mother sighs and closes her eyes. "Unfortunately, yes. We are so sorry we weren't there to protect you, Ciel."

I shake my head. "No, it's not your fault. It does not matter anyway; the past is the past and can never be changed."

Mother gives me a curious look. "You really are so mature, did you know that?"

I shrug my shoulders. "There was no place for children in the world I lived. If you expected to be taken seriously than you had to dispose of such silly, immature emotions."

"Still, a child should not have to go through that. It wasn't what we wanted for you, we only wanted you to always be happy," my Father says sadly.

I look away for a moment. "Please forgive me, then. I'm sure you did not want for me to carry such hatred…" I look back sharply, a determined spark in my eyes. "However, I achieved my revenge in the end. Even if it was not what you wanted, I avenged your deaths and destroyed those had who humiliated me so."

"Oh Ciel, of course we don't blame you for being angry for what had happened," my mother says forgivingly and takes my hand. Ha! Anger? No, what I had felt was a pure loathing for those who had defiled me in such a way. My sole _purpose in life_ was to get my revenge and to annihilate those horrible 'people'. Anger doesn't even begin to touch on how absolutely furious I was and the burning hatred that had filled me to the core.

"Is that…the Phantomhive ring?" Father states in astonishment. "How…?"

For a moment, I am lost at what to say. However, I'm saved by a burning pain in my hidden eye. I let out a gasp and lose my balance slightly, reaching a hand to my right eye. Oh God, it burns.

"Ciel!" I heard multiple people gasp. "Are you alright?"

Letting out a shaky breath, the pain fades away and I look at them. Regaining my composure, I say strongly. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Lizzie asks, worried.

I nod my head. That feeling in my contracted eye…Sebastian must be on his way. I can't help but feel my heart beat quicker. I only have a few minutes at most to speak to my parents before Sebastian takes me back with him.

"If I may, why is Jackson here? He's not an Angel," I point out, wanting to get some answers before I left.

"Oh, that's simple," Lizzie starts. "He's contracted to Lucis."

Another contract with an Angel… I wasn't aware that Angels contract this frequently; then again, I am ignorant to most concerning this species. "I see. And why was Lucis, an Angel, living in the human realm these past fourteen years?"

"Well, you know of course about the war going on," Lizzie says dejectedly. "You also know of the prophecy. Around fifteen years ago the Elders felt the soul of the One from the prophecy being reincarnated. However, they didn't know which soul it was so they sent multiple angels out to guard any reincarnated souls. It just so happens that Lucis was watching you."

Everything is starting to make sense now, though there is one question that is still bothering me tremendously.

"Lizzie," I start out slowly. "Why do you not look any older from the last time I saw you?"

Lizzie looks away. "…I was killed almost year after you died. When the Phantomhive family, a.k.a. the Queen's Watchdog, was put to rest, it left a lot of enemies and people wanting revenge. It just so happens that being your fiancée, I was the only person they could think of taking their revenge upon. It's okay, though. I died a quick death and I barely felt any pain."

I'm crushed. Elizabeth is trying to make the best of the situation but that still doesn't change the fact that my cousin was murdered because of me. "Lizzie, I'm so sorry. I never wished for any harm to fall upon you."

She gives me a sad smile. "It's alright, Ciel. I was so terribly lonely after you died that I was almost glad to go to Heaven. I thought for sure you'd be waiting there for me. Unfortunately, you were to be reincarnated so I had to wait a little longer." Lizzie lets out a sharp laugh.

I stare at her sorrowfully and do one thing I never expected to do: I pull her into a hug. "Lizzie," I murmur in her ear. "Will you do one thing for me?"

I can almost feel her shock at my display of emotion. "Anything, Ciel."

"Run. Run as far as you can from here and don't seek me out again."

Elizabeth pulls back, startled. "What―"

She's cut of by a pained cry from beside the house. We all whip around to face the sound. I'm the first to move as I take a couple steps towards the sound. There's more noise of a fight as a sword strikes against bricks and the crack of a wall breaking down. Then I see the start of a black uniform come around the corner.

"Sebas―_tian_?" I stumble over my words as I stare at the form. It's most obviously my butler, _but why the hell does he have blond hair and sunglasses?_

Sebastian notices me and puts on an overly cheerful smile, waving. "Good day, Bo-chan!" Then there's an explosion of dust as Lucis breaks through the wall, completely covering Sebastian from my view.

I stare at him dumbly. "What an idiot, letting his guard down," I scold him quietly and watch the scene unfold.

Immediately, Sebastian is back to his normal demonic demeanor and is staring dangerously at the Angel. Somewhere in the cloud of dust he's managed to remove the ridiculous sunglasses he was wearing. Lucis strikes at him with her sword and Sebastian dodges swiftly, leaning to the side to avoid being hit. When she throws an especially hard strike, Sebastian uses the drag time to get in close and throw a well placed kick to her midsection. If she were human, her organs surely would've ruptured at the impact. Lucky for her, she's only flung into a looming birch tree.

Sebastian uses the pause in his fight to remove the wig (thank _God_ he didn't actually dye his hair blond). When Lucis gets up, Sebastian has his hands full of knives and he throws them rapidly at her. She dodges them successfully, having seen him use this technique earlier. Then Lucis rushes forward, faking to the left before going to the right and slicing at his stomach. Sebastian continues to avoid her attacks without too much effort and they trade hits, occasionally getting one in on the other. Suddenly, I see something in the corner of my eye.

"Sebastian!" I try to call out, rushing forward to the distracted demon but I'm too late as Jackson runs in and swings his own sword, drawing a long cut along Sebastian's back. My butler narrowly dodges the follow up attack from Lucis and backs away as the two Holy beings come at him from either side.

"Ciel!" I hear Mother and Lizzie call out my name as I race forward. Sliding up beside Sebastian, I glare at Jackson as he stares in surprise at me.

"Are you going to kill me just to get to him?" I demand Jackson, standing as strongly as I can while facing up to the man who is even taller than Sebastian. I notice he has a bad wound to the shoulder and that it must've been him who I heard cry out first.

"Bo-chan, it's not safe for you here," Sebastian states while dodging a jab of the sword.

I give him a look. "Neither is it for you, idiot. They can kill you with those swords, if you don't recall."

Before Sebastian can say anything, Jackson grits his teeth and then does something I had not planned for: he attacks me with his sword.

"_No!"_ I hear Lucis scream at him, rushing to stop him but she's not close enough.

I stare with wide eyes as the sword comes closer. Suddenly, strong arms wrap around my torso and pull me against a strong frame. I look up to see Sebastian holding me away from harm and a deep gash in his arm that had not been there a second ago. If that had hit me, my head would've no longer been connected to my body.

With a snarl, Sebastian turns back to the two, pushing me behind him protectively.

"Jackson, what were you thinking, attacking him?" Lucis snaps furiously.

Jackson turns his head slightly to answer her and that's all the time Sebastian needs. He reaches forward and catches the man's left wrist and twists. The bones crunch and snap as his forearm is twisted almost a full three-hundred and sixty degrees. The scream of pure agony escapes his lips as the sword falls from his grip, that which Sebastian catches easily. Before I can blink, he's lodged the sword to the hilt in Jackson's chest. Jackson stares down at it before collapsing to the ground in a heap of blood.

I back up as the crimson liquid soaks the once pure green grass. Sebastian notices and follows quickly after me as Lucis rushes to her contractor's side.

"Sebastian, let's go. There's no need to stay any longer," I tell him quietly as I avoid the scene of the mangled corpse.

"Yes, my Lord," Sebastian murmurs and stands behind me.

I catch the gazes of Lizzie, my mother and my father.

"Ciel…?" Father asks in a disturbed confusion, reaching out for me. Lizzie has tears streaking down her face like mini waterfalls and Mother looks like she too is on the verge of crying.

I stare at them with melancholy. "I'm sorry Father, Mother, but I am not able to stay with you here. Perhaps I am not fit to wear this ring after all…"

I play with the sapphire jewelry but Sebastian's hand stops me. "Bo-chan, you are still a Phantomhive. That fact will never change throughout the course of eternity. This ring belongs to you and only you."

I lean my head back to look at my butler. "Hm, I suppose you are right, Sebastian. I am Earl Ciel Phantomhive and you, you are my butler, Sebastian Michaelis. This is an order: promise me that you will forever be my butler until you devour my soul."

Sebastian smirks and puts a hand over his heart. "But of course, Young Master. I promise that I will continue to serve you until the day when you are finally completely mine."

"Good," I murmur with satisfaction and face my family one last time. "This is good bye for good, Mother, Father, Lizzie. I am glad to have been able to say farewell this time. Let's go, Sebastian."

I lean my head against his chest as he wraps his arms around me. Pitch black shadows wisp around us and consume us once again.

"_Ciel_!" is the last thing I hear of my beloved cousin.

The shadows fade and we're back in Sebastian's room at his manor. I step away from him and stand solemnly.

"Bo-chan, will you be alright?" I hear Sebastian ask.

I turn to him and a tiny smile graces my lips. "Yes." Then my smile falls and I murmur, "Sebastian."

"What is it, my Lord?" Sebastian inquires.

"I think…I'm truly happy right now," I say quietly, almost confused by my own words. Haven't I forgotten what it's like to feel this emotion? I thought that after that month and all the terrors that have happened since then that I'd never feel like this again. Still, I can't help but think it's an odd feeling.

"Well, isn't that a good thing? Why do you look so disturbed by that thought?" It's Sebastian's turn to be confused as he tilts his head at me.

"I suppose, though it feels bizarre. Shouldn't I be terribly upset by the fact that I will never see my family again and that you murdered Jackson?" I ask him.

He blinks at me. "I have no clue how you should feel. Personally, it would make no difference to me if I saw my father again; he's just another demon. If I am to be completely honest, there is nothing that confuses me more than human emotions."

I roll my eyes and turn my head away from him while saying sarcastically, "Because that helps, idiot demon."

I feel a finger tilt my head back up and lock eyes with the crimson ones of my butler. "I believe that if you feel content then this must be what you want. Though you may care deeply for your family, you do not belong with them."

I say nothing but my eye catches on the gash across his arm that was caused because of me. Reaching out carefully, I touch the wound and feel the muscle tense slightly. Curiously, I ask, "Does that hurt?"

Sebastian does not answer. Instead, he leans down and presses his lips hungrily against mine. I stand completely still, figuring that he only wants to be able to heal himself again. After a moment, Sebastian pulls back slightly and I notice his eyes are glowing a burning red. Then, he presses his lips against mine again. Startled, I pull back. "You already got your taste. Your wounds should heal now."

"I know," Sebastian breathes out.

I frown in confusion. "Then wh―" I'm cut off as Sebastian kisses me for a third time, this time taking advantage of my parted lips. A surprised noise escapes my throat and my fingers curl around his black uniform as I push myself up to be able to kiss him easier, realizing that he isn't doing this just because of his injuries. His arms tighten around me as our tongues battle furiously with one another, needing to release this passion that I've tried to bury down. Sebastian guides me backwards and the back of my thighs hit the bed and I fall back, Sebastian following me while running his hands over my sides and moving to kiss at my neck.

A quiet gasp escapes my lips as he bites teasingly at the flesh before his tongue runs over it soothingly. His hands trail over my body and he pushes my shirt off so he can kiss my chest. Humming gently, my fingers bury in his hair and he comes back up to place his mouth against mine for another time. With nimble fingers, I manage to undo his tie blindly as his tongue traces across my lips. Then I unbutton his jacket and he breaks off the kiss to roll it off his shoulders. He comes back, this time pushing himself between my legs. I can't help the pleasured moan that escapes my throat as he grinds his hips against mine.

"Call my name," Sebastian breathes against my ear.

A blush spreads across my face at his ludicrous words. "N-no― ah!" I gasp, my head falling back as he thrusts up against me. My arms wrap around his neck as I arch up, determined to keep this beautiful friction and I'm delighted as he continues. "S-Sebas-tian!"

I feel him smirk against my throat. Then, his hand trails up my thigh and I freeze, a sense of déjà vu coming over me. Unwanted hands roaming over me as those foul men continued to violate me, touching me as I tried desperately to escape.

"Bo-chan," Sebastian murmurs, having stopped when he noticed the change in demeanor. I raise my wide eyes to meet his, shaking slightly. He looks softly down at me, running a hand over my cheek. "Bo-chan, I am not those men. I would never harm you or force this upon you, ever."

My arms tighten around him more as I close my eyes. That's right, this is Sebastian. I'm not in that cage any more and I want this this time. I want to feel Sebastian pressed up against me in this intimate act, to think nothing of but the pleasurable feeling of being with him.

I open my eyes to see his face still hovering above mine. Pulling it back down, I kiss him passionately, trying to convey how much I need him. He looks surprised but doesn't deny me as his lips move slowly, sensually, against mine. It's different this time. Where before it was rushed, pushed on by pure lust, this time it feels more like there's actual emotion behind it.

The demon places gentle kisses on my cheek, jaw, throat and I whisper his name out just as softly. "Sebastian…"

* * *

><p><strong>Sooo...how was it? ^^ I'm sorry I stopped there but I didn't feel comfortable writing any smut and this fic is 'T' so that was as far as I was aloud to go. I'll leave the rest up to your perverted imaginations and fetishes (if you want Ciel magically be dressed up in a cat uniform, by all means, it's your choice)~ Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter as well and I'll try to keep up the relatively quick updates (once a week is quick right?) and manage everything else as well...Which means I should probably be studying for my test or reading my English book instead but... btw, I personally think that Grell is totally okay with saying that he loves Will (he's probably said it countless times). Sebastian and Ciel on the other hand will not be saying that so freely. Especially Sebastian, who really has no understanding of that feeling ^^ Please review if you have time because it makes my day and helps me get through this crappy excuse of a prison they call 'school'. Honestly, my friend's school was originally built to be a prison but they had last minute thoughts and were like "Hey, instead of putting robbers and rapists in this jail, lets stuff a few hundred kids in here instead! :D No big deal or anything, we'll just put the bad guys in the portables or something. Yeah, they should be safe there." <strong>


	12. Suspect, Attacked by Swords and Scythes

**Hello everyone ^^ I meant to put this up yesterday but then I forgot a small part so here I am today... Life's been busy so I hope this chapter still pleases you :) Umm. Oh right! I haven't mentioned this yet, but there _will _be a character death in this story, though I won't tell you who or when it's going to happen ;) You'll just have to keep guessing until it's revealed I suppose. Sorry, but I do love angst D: Not much to say so I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. Oh and there's a sort of confusing part later here but we'll be returning to an earlier time period next chapter to explain it ^^;**

**OH! I also got my first flame ^^ 1/78 reviews. Not bad, eh? Anyways, I'm not mad at the person or anything because everyone is entitled to their own opions, though I'd like to point out that this is a SebastianxCiel fic, so if you loathe that pairing, you _probably_ aren't going to like this story ^^; I mentioned in the first chapter what the pairing was, and if you haven't already figured it out by now, then I'm giving you fair warning! Also, I don't mind if you don't like something about the story, but please leave a _constructive_ criticism for me and not just saying my chapters are terrible ^^ Thanks!**

**P.S. I was speaking about English Honors last time. I'm actually doing very well in that class so it's not so bad ^^ and I guess the teacher is okay, though she still scares me sometimes...**

**EvilCabbagezPwn: ahaha don't worry I do that all the time too ;) And thanks a lot! ^^ I'm glad you enjoyed it**

**Warnings*Mature language, sexual scenes, Yaoi, a couple OCs :( , gore, spoilers for whole manga/anime**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji**

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><p>Red liquid trailing smoothly, leaving a defined path. Drip. Drip. Dipping my hand into the paint, I create more paths of the liquid. They start to cool down the wall, creating wet rivulets. So many crimson orbs glaring at me… With blank eyes, I frantically reach out and grab more paint, splashing it over the carpeting in the process. Then I'm back at it, my red stained fingers dancing over the walls.<p>

"Bo-chan!" A voice registers in the back of my mind. I fall to my knees and grasp at my head, not caring about the cool liquid that covers my face.

Shakily, my mind clears and I realize that it was Sebastian who had spoken. I turn around with my head still lowered and raise it carefully when I'm facing him.

"Sebastian?" I whisper in confusion. I see his shocked face not staring at me, but behind me. Then his eyes flicker back to my form and he walks hurriedly over. I get up unsteadily and stare at my crimson hands with a wondered frown. Then I whip around and face the wall, almost falling back in horror.

Dozens of red eyes stare back at me, the fresh paint dripping down like rivers of blood.

"Did I… do all this?" I quietly ask out loud.

"Bo-chan?" Sebastian says with a concerned tone. "What does this mean?"

I shiver, staring at the crudely painted orbs. "I think… something's watching us. Whatever it is, I don't think it's good."

"Young Master, you've created a good mess of yourself. Come, let's clean you up," Sebastian urges me away from the creepy eyes. Reluctantly, I follow after him to the bathroom, turning my eyes from the paintings. I see Sebastian kneeling down to turn on the taps for the bath and I sit on top of the counter, waiting. As the tub's filling with steaming water, Sebastian dunks a cloth in the water and rings it before coming over to me. He leans down and carefully starts wiping the paint I got on my face when I had clutched at my head.

"Sebastian, where were you this morning?"

Sebastian pauses for a moment before resuming. "I was speaking to Lucifer. That is why I did not realize you were up. I had assumed that you were going to sleep in a little longer; it's equivalent to five thirty-two in the morning in the human realm."

"I see," I murmur, holding back a yawn as my body catches up to how drained it feels. "What did you talk about?"

"Not much of importance. I informed him of Lucis' appearance in your home town and that she had been after you. He did not take too kindly to that. It seems Lucifer does not trust you, Bo-chan, and was angered that I let you get taken by the Angels," Sebastian says calmly as he pulls back with the face cloth.

I frown. "It's not like I would've sided with them. Honestly, this whole prophecy thing seems like a farce to me. Besides, you got me back so it shouldn't matter anymore."

Sebastian shakes his head as he tests out the water. "No, I deserved the punishment. I failed to protect you, which is unforgivable. I should have been more adamant to you staying here."

"You were punished?" I ask angrily. "How so?"

"It is of no concern, Bo-chan." Sebastian smiles cheerfully. He reaches out to undo the oversized shirt I'm wearing but I pull away quickly. The demon snickers at my innocent reaction. "Really, Young Master? Even after the events of last night you are still embarrassed to be nude in my presence?"

I feel my face go beat red. "S-shut up!" I snap and shoo him away with a motion of my hand. "Go away! I do not need your insufferable company while I bathe."

Sebastian sighs in exasperation. "_Yes, my Lord._"

I make sure that the door has shut completely before removing the lengthy shirt. Honestly, how tall _is_ Sebastian? It's completely unfair that his mere _shirts_ trail all the way down to just above my knees! Technically, I've lived for twenty-seven years, and yet I've still never been taller than one-hundred and sixty centimeters!

However, my bitterness at my height dissipates as I dip myself in the burning water. A pleased noise escapes me as I'm surrounded by the warm water and begin to wash away all the paint that has dried on my flesh. As I'm relaxing in the water though, I can't help but wonder what had happened back there. I don't even recall getting up, let alone dragging out the paint and creating those horrid eyes. It's a horrible feeling and I wonder what else I could've done in that state. Surely it isn't very safe to be up and walking about but not actually conscious.

A knock a little while later resonates through the room. "Bo-chan, may I come in?"

"I suppose. What is it you need, Sebastian?" I call out lazily, the heat making me even drowsier.

The door opens. "It seems my King wishes for you to appear in our meeting today. He believes that the others of the Court should know of the one from the Prophecy."

I tilt my head back and give him a look. "Why? So they can recognize who to kill when I apparently bring the downfall of Hell?"

Sebastian looks away. "It's probable that that is one of the reasons, though no harm shall befall you, Bo-chan. I will make sure of that."

I nod my head and reach out to grab a towel hanging from the rack as Sebastian avoids looking at me politely. Hurriedly drying myself off, I wrap the towel around my waist and walk out to the bedroom. As I start dressing myself in the clothing Sebastian placed on the bed, I notice that the paintings of eyes on the wall are now gone. Sebastian must've cleaned them off while I was bathing.

"Are you hungry, Bo-chan? I have not prepared any nourishment yet as it is still very early in the morning," Sebastian says from behind me.

I shake my head. "Not very. I would very much care for a cup of tea, though."

Sebastian bows. "Yes, my Lord. After that, we will meet up with Lucifer back in the castle we originally arrived in."

I watch Sebastian leave as I fix the bow to my uniform, managing to tie it properly today. It seems I will have to face Satan again. Really now, it's almost become a regular occurrence for me to see the _Devil_.

_Why must I be so lucky_? I sarcastically think and hop off the bed. Leaving the room, I see Sebastian coming down the hall with a cup of tea. I take it gratefully and start to drink the liquid quickly as we continue down the hall together.

"Sebastian, how long do you suppose this war is going to last?" I ask after a couple of minutes.

Sebastian doesn't answer immediately. "I am not sure. It has been going on for over a century, but it's starting to get tenser with the Prophecy being put into play. Now that many know who the one from the legend is, I expect even greater battles to happen soon."

"Hm." As we reach the foyer, I hand my butler the now empty cup of tea and he disappears down a corridor, only to reappear a few seconds later. "Let's go."

Sebastian opens the door and I walk out to the already prepared carriage. Again, he opens the door and holds out a hand to help me up into it, causing me to recall my short stature once again. The ride is silent for the most part and I wait impatiently again for it to be over.

Once we arrive, I follow Sebastian into the impressive building that stretches to the very sky. The guards covered in fierce armor at the front immediately remove their weapons as Sebastian gives them a look while standing closely to my side. The inside of the building has few demons that I see and the ones I do bow their heads respectively to Sebastian. It is truly an odd sight to see people bowing to my butler instead of me, though I am not ignored; I receive many hungry and lingering stares. It's too tedious to glare at them all so I just avoid their eyes. Sebastian leads us through the building, our heels clicking and echoing against the stone flooring. Finally, we arrive in front of a pair of large, golden doors. Sebastian presses a hand against them and they part.

I'm met with the view of a long table, much like those you'd see during a business meeting. Quickly, I count that there are seven demons, including Lucifer who is at the head of the table. My eyes catch on two familiar forms. The first is Aiko― at least, I think that was the name Sebastian called the Asian demon. She's dressed in a kimono today, though it ends midsection of her thighs.

The second I recognize is Hannah Annafellows, Alois's maid from his previous life. However, her outfit is completely different. She's wearing a black, corset looking shirt that reaches up to her throat, though it's shaped to reveal almost all of her extremely large breast, just barely covering her nipples. Black, triangular tattoos trace from her neck to the bones of her cheek. Those aren't the only tattoos though. Past the long black gloves on each arm are two thick, tiger looking stripes that swirl around the limb. Once again black are the boots that reach almost the top of her thighs. I ignore the barely covered area of her lower region and focus on the two, purple-grey roses sitting on black spikes in her hair. All in all, she does _not_ look like the timid maid I had known. In fact, Hannah looks down right deadly at the moment, glancing at me without the barest hint of emotion.

I walk alongside Sebastian wearily though I keep my head high and my face prideful. He comes to a stop beside Lucifer and raises a hand to his chest, bowing slightly. "My King, I have brought him."

Lucifer nods his head and then looks at me with his golden eyes. "Introduce yourself, boy," he demands with a wave of his hand.

My eyebrow ticks at being called 'boy' but I do as he says. Turning to face all the demons regarding me with different emotions, I say clearly and confidently, "I am the Earl Ciel Phantomhive. It is an honor to be in the presence of such highly regarded demons and I look forward to conversing with you."

"As you must all realize, this is the child we were speaking of, the one reincarnated as the Prophecy has spoken," Lucifer starts out and all the demons turn to pay attention to him. "He is the one destined to bring down Hell."

"My Lord, why do we just not kill him now? It's not worth the chance to keep him alive," a man with beady eyes says.

"I assure you," I drawl, "that I have no intention of brining down this realm and killing your king."

"But the boy drew a picture of our King dead!" Another demon points out and many nod in agreement.

Sebastian speaks up. "It is true that he has drawn Satan dead, but he was not even aware as to who it was at first. He has been gifted with the ability of clairvoyance. That is how he drew the picture."

"Still! I say we should get rid of him―" the beady eyed man says angrily while standing from his seat.

Sebastian snarls, his eyes going red. "Raleigh! Know your place."

"Indeed," Lucifer agrees. "If you are going to act like an insolent new born, leave. Even the Phantomhive _human_ has more manners than you."

The one known asRaleighmutters an apology and sits back down.

"Do not worry, I too have thought about just killing the boy," Lucifer continues. I'm starting to get annoyed at being talked about in third person. Why I am even needed here if they do not intend to address me is a mystery. "However, he has a contract with Michaelis, who has sworn to watch over the boy so he does not plot anything."

"I heard that the boy was taken by Angels just yesterday. How do we know if that was not part of his plan?" Hannah inquires softly, staring at Lucifer. A murmur passes through the demons as they take in this startling information.

"Anafeloz has a good point, my King," Aiko points out. "We could torture the truth out of him to see what they are plotting."

An annoyed sigh escapes my lips. "Apparently you do not understand that I want nothing to do with this war. Yes, the Angels did take me. Yes, they did try to get me on their side and invite me into Heaven. However, I declined their offerings and returned to Hell with Sebastian of my own accord."

"He is but a mere human, we can not trust his words," Aiko persuades.

"Perhaps, but I was there," Sebastian buts in. "He willingly left that place. If you knew how he is like, you would realize that he isn't interested in helping the Angels. If he was, why would he have left them and returned to honor our contract? I assure my Bo-chan is well aware of what will happen once it is complete."

"You have a history with that boy, Michaelis. Is it not possible that you are blinded by your memories of the child that lived a hundred years ago? He is a different person with different memories now. It is quite possible that he is lying to your face right now and you do not even realize it as a possibility," Hannah says calmly, though there's ice to her words. "As I recall, you _have_ actually completed your contract; _so why is it that you have not devoured him yet?_"

Before Sebastian can respond, Lucifer speaks gently. "Actually, Ana, that would be my fault. Seeing as Michaelis has sworn to watch over him, I decided it might prove to be useful to keep him around until the war is finished. His clairvoyance might be able to show us something we have not predicted."

"I did not realize that, my King. I apologize," Hannah says respectfully before relaxing in her chair.

"So the boy will stay here until the war has finished?" Another male demon asks.

"That is how it seems for now, though things may cha―" Lucifer is cut off by someone barging in the door.

"My King!" A panicked, young looking demon pants out. "There's been an attack! There's too many of them for us to hold off here― we need―"

Lucifer stands up and speaks loudly. "All of you, go! Use any means necessary to fight them off!"

I stare with wide eyes as the demons all get up, eyes glowing dangerously as they unsheathe terrible weapons and rush out of the room.

"Bo-chan, this way!" Sebastian yells at me, pulling me to the side and starting towards the door. Outside I can faintly hear the sounds of metal against metal and huge crashes.

"Michaelis." Lucifer's voice stops Sebastian dead and he turns around to face the Ruler of Hell. "Do not forget your duties."

Sebastian bows quickly. "Of course, my King. You need not worry."

I catch Satan staring distastefully at me before Sebastian forces me to follow him. We take a left and race past the demons fighting the Holy beings, Sebastian making sure to shield me from anything coming towards us. I see the giant entrance doors and we sprint through them into the sunrise outside. As I step down the stairs, I almost slip on a puddle of blood from a dismembered demon, but catch myself and make it to the bottom. As we push through another crowd, we almost run into another pair darting around the ground. I feel Sebastian freeze beside me.

"No way," we both breathe out, staring at the two forms. One is very tall, with red hair reaching down to his lower back. The other is blond and wearing rather short shorts for a male.

"_Aloi_s?" I say stupidly.

Sebastian, just as confused as I am, speaks. "Grell, what are you doing here? And with Trancy, much less."

Instead of speaking, Grell rushes forward in a blur of red almost too quickly for me to see and grabs Sebastian, pulling the demon towards him. Sebastian is about to snarl at the reaper for touching him when a sword goes flying through the space where his head occupied a moment earlier, burying itself in an other unfortunate demon. With a stunned look, Sebastian watches the other demon fall before blinking and turning to face the Shinigami.

"Sebas-chan, as much as I'd love to talk, we need to get out of here. Even with the two of us, I don't think we could hold back this mass of angry Angels," Grell speaks hurriedly, still clutching Sebastian's arm.

After regaining his senses, Sebastian nods. "Follow me," he says before turning and running to the right, Grell following after him. I run as well and sense Alois coming up beside me. Turning my head to look at him, he gives me a smile before grabbing my hand and running even faster, forcing me to sprint after him. I can feel my breathing getting heavier, though I note Alois looks completely fine as his endurance is incredibly high from all the training he does.

Up ahead, we come to a stop in front of a portion of the building's outside wall. Beside it is a supporting pillar with intricate designs of beasts carved into it. Sebastian presses the eye of one and it sinks into the pillar. Then a large chuck of the wall disintegrates into a pile of sand, leaving an opening to a stairwell.

"Quickly." Sebastian wastes no time going through it and starting his way down the stairs. The rest of us follow after, though it takes a moment as the path is only wide enough for one individual at a time. As I'm stepping through, the sand starts to shake.

"Alois!" I shout in warning and he notices the sand with wide eyes. Rushing through, he barely makes it as the sand suddenly rushes up and solidifies into the wall once again. We stare at the wall for a moment before turning and rushing down the stairs after the two supernatural beings.

Sebastian slows down. "We should be safe here. Only privileged demons are aware of these underground caverns and thus no one should bother us."

I take this moment to catch my breath as we continue walking down the stairs at a much slower pace.

"Now that we are in a calmer place, I will ask again: what are you doing here, Grell?" Sebastian demands as he leads the way down the candle lit stairwell.

"Well, after William and I left the Shinigami realm, we ended up back at my manor. I was terribly exhausted so I ended up going to sleep. However, when I woke up, William had disappeared," Grell starts.

"I'm not surprised," Sebastian mutters under his breath. "Still, that doesn't explain why you're here. Surely you haven't come searching for me as a replacement for Spears."

"I wasn't― finished― _speaking_!" Grell complains to him in a high voice. "Anyways, as I was saying, my Will~ wasn't there, so I panicked, wondering what could've happened to him." I can almost feel Sebastian's urge to mock the redheaded idiot some more, explaining that Spears obviously left because he didn't want to be near Grell. He doesn't speak though, most likely just wanting Grell to finish his story. "And then I saw _him_. Alois was standing in the entrance way, exclaiming to Anne-Marie how Will had been taken by a demon."

I turn a questioning look to Alois, who explains, "I was following a butterfly through the forest when I saw the guy Grell always talks about. He was fighting with some female demon and then they both disappeared behind a wall of flames. Being the thoughtful person I am, I decided to head back to the mansion and inform Grell."

_He was following a butterfly through the forest?_ I wish I could say that even he wasn't idiotic enough to do that in his spare time, but then again, it _is_ Alois. I'm just glad he hadn't decided to play Hide and Seek with a wolf. Or Tag with a hibernating bear.

"When we got here though, everything was in a mess. And then I saw Sebas-chan and the brat and that's what happened," Grell finishes. He pauses for a moment before speaking up. "Say, _Sebas-chan?_ Did you notice anything odd about the battle?" the flamboyant Shinigami asks uncertainly.

With narrowed eyes, Sebastian looks back at him. "What do you mean?"

Grell bites his lips. "I could've sworn I saw Shinigami fighting there as well…"

A startled look crosses Sebastian's eyes. "Do you mean to tell me that they are no longer neutral? That they've sided with Heaven?"

"I'm not sure… I haven't heard anything about them planning to do this, though with everything that's happened, I can't say I am too shocked. They aren't very pleased that a demon has aided me _twice_ in doing illegal things," Grell says.

"Wait, twice?" I question. "What else has Sebastian done?"

Grell blinks. "You didn't tell him?"

"Tell me what?" I demand angrily.

"It is nothing, Bo-chan," Sebastian says quickly, trying to calm me before I overreact. "I merely aided Grell in getting Spears out of jail so that he would open a passage into Heaven for me."

"You can not get there yourself?"

Sebastian shakes his head. "No, we must have an invite to enter their realm, just as they must for ours. However, Shinigami are able to travel to each freely which is why it was key for them to stay neutral. With what Grell has said now, it seems that the Angels have the advantage."

No one responds to that statement.

"_How far are these stairs_?" Alois complains loudly, getting annoyed with the never ending steps.

"Do not fret, Trancy, we are almost there." Sebastian turns his head back with a false, cheery smile. "If you would like, I'd be most willing to kick you down the rest of the stairs and it would only take about two seconds to reach the bottom."

Alois shuts up and we continue. A few minutes later I notice that the stairs stop and we walk into a large cavern. Crudely carved rocks make up the walls and the occasional torches on them flicker red and orange, casting a dim lighting in the cave. Because of the small amount of light, there are many corners covered in shadows.

And from one of those corners steps out a familiar form.

"Hello again, demon. Did you really think I'd just let you get away?" Lucis says with a terrible smile, her white dress taking an orange hue as she steps into the flames light.

"Wait, what the fudge is your mom doing here, Ciel?" Alois asks dumbly.

I take a step back and Sebastian glares at the woman. Then all our heads turn to the stone steps where a steady clacking is heard. A man with auburn hair dressed in a black uniform appears from the stairwell, blocking our way back. An undignified 'eek' escapes Grell as watches the form get closer.

"Mr. Zachary, how unfortunate it is to see you again," Sebastian says, looking at the man but still staying weary of the Angel behind him.

"Indeed it is, Michaelis. I had expected you to keep your word when you said you wouldn't interfere with us again," Zachary drawls as he reaches the bottom.

"I promised no such thing. I had said that I had no _desire_ to be involved in your affairs but unfortunately, it was necessary that I returned to your realm briefly," Sebastian corrects.

Zachary's mouth turns down at Sebastian's words. "That does not make a difference. I am still here to kill you _and_ Sutcliff."

"Me?" Grell laughs nervously. "It was Sebas-chan who actually broke William out, so can't I just do overtime for a couple days instead?"

The answer to that is the appearance of a Death Scythe and a vicious lunge at the red reaper.

"You bastard! Why does everyone aim for my face?" Grell cries out dramatically, before his whole demeanor changes and a deadly smile crosses his face. He revs up the chainsaw that appears in his hands with a determined look. "It seems like I'll have to teach you some manners. I must say that I am _quite_ sick of the way you've been treating me."

"Bo-chan, Trancy," Sebastian yells to us and jumps to the wall. He kicks it and I watch as the rock stumbles in to reveal another tunnel. "Go through here and wait until we have finished with these two."

Rapidly, I rip off my eye patch, letting it fall to the ground.

"Sebastian, this is an order: you will return to me alive after you have finished here!" I demand of him before turning to race towards the tunnel with Alois at my heels, hoping that Sebastian will fare well against the Angel and Shinigami. And Grell too, I suppose.

* * *

><p><em>~3rd Person POV~<em>

Sebastian doesn't have time to watch his Young Master leave before he's attacked by Lucis. He moves out of the way of the sword and a lawn edger flies for his head. A chainsaw intercepts its path and Grell pushes it back before slicing at Zachary. Sebastian pulls out his silver ware and throws it at Lucis.

"You'll never hit me with that trick again, demon! With only that silverware as your weapon, you've sealed your fate," Lucis smirks as she uses her sword to block the knives.

"You are naïve if you think that's all I can do. With my Bo-chan gone, I am aloud to fight in my true form." Sebastian smiles back at her cruelly before a mixture of shadows surround him. Lucis watches with slight apprehension. Then they fade to reveal the leather clad demon, his nails lengthened to deadly claws. Red eyes widened with sadistic eagerness, Sebastian's smirk reveals dangers pointed teeth, much like a wolves.

Grell stands there gawking at the attractive man and almost receives a sword through the chest.

"Pay attention!" Sebastian snaps at him as he claws at the Angel's face, causing her to dodge and miss her target.

"Oh I am~" Grell leers and Sebastian punches him in the face. Grell splutters before raising his chainsaw angrily and attacking him.

Lucis and Zachary stare at them in disbelief. "If we just wait, they might end up killing each other for us."

Then Zachary snarls. "No way. I want to be the one to bring Sutcliff down!"

The Shinigami jumps forward with his edger, breaking apart the two. This time, he manages to hit Grell's arm and the redhead hisses in pain as the spikes dig into it. However, with Zachary preoccupied, Sebastian throws more silverware, two of which bury into the man's shoulder. Sebastian leaps forward and buries his claws into his chest, flinging him against the wall with his Death Scythe following.

Lucis watches as her 'partner' hits the wall with a thud and glares viciously at the two. She rushes forward with her sword lunged at Grell. He raises his chainsaw to block the attack but she switches the position of her sword last minute and jabs sideways at Sebastian. Surprised, he manages to catch it between his hands before it impales his head. The blade cuts deeply into his flesh, letting crimson blood drip down in and over Sebastian's hands and creating a burning feeling. As he holds the blade, he kicks up swiftly to hit the Angel's stretched out arm, breaking her forearm. She cries out in pain and drops the sword as her arm goes numb. Sebastian goes to get it before she can but as he grabs the handle, a searing pain goes through him and he lets it go with a gasp.

"Heh," Lucis chuckles darkly, grasping her broken arm. "Did you really think an unholy beast such as yourself could wield that sword?"

Sebastian glares at her before continuing his attacks.

Meanwhile, a clash of metal is heard as Death Scythes smash against each other. Both Shinigami have a deadly look in their eyes as they battle each other. It's not just another fight to them, it's also a matter of pride. Having both received triple As in their final exam it has always been a wonder of just _who_ is the stronger Shinigami. Before Grell completed the exam, Zachary had always been the obvious choice for the strongest Shinigami in pure physical strength. However, when Grell completed the course with triple As, suddenly everything became a competition. It was Sutcliff who had stolen his title. Sure, Zachary is still feared, but now they say 'Oh, Zachary? Yes, but I've heard that Sutcliff kid got triple As as well! Maybe it isn't as rare as everyone thinks…'

So with a roar, Zachary swings the edger like a battering ram. Grell manages to raise his chainsaw up but the hit's still too powerful. The red Shinigami is flung harshly into the stone wall, his chainsaw dropping from his hands as the stone cracks behind his back. Then he falls to the ground. With a triumphant smile, Zachary walks over and stomps on Grell's side, causing him to cough up blood onto the ground. Then Zachary grabs his collar and lifts him up against the wall.

Grell stares at him with muddled eyes, his back aching from being thrown so harshly against the wall.

"Spears can't save you this time, Sutcliff," Zachary grins.

"Will…" Grell's eyes start to focus and he narrows them. "Where is William?"

"How should I know?" Zachary spits out. "Truthfully, I expected him to be with you. It doesn't matter though; I'll track him down as soon as I'm done with you."

Grell smirks. "That's only _if_ you can kill me first. I won't let you harm him."

The other reaper lets out a harsh laugh. "You really don't know when to give up, do you? I've got you―"

His own mangled cry cuts him off as Grell pulls the pair of scissors from his pocket and jabs them into the elder reaper's eyes, shattering his glasses in the process. Zachary falls to the ground, crying out in agony as he reaches up to pull the mini scissors out of his eye sockets.

Grell smirks, his tongue sticking out of his mouth as he strikes his pose. "Don't mess with my scissors of DEATH~!" Grell chuckles and walks over to the pitiful reaper on the ground and yanks the scissors out of his eyes before Zachary can. Then he caresses the other reaper's cheek. "It's really too bad you're such a douche bag, you know~ If it weren't for that and the mess of your eyes right now, you might actually be attractive covered in a beautiful crimson red."

With that, Grell gives a quick kick to his head and it snaps the neck with a sickening crunch, spinning in the complete opposite direction. The Shinigami's body collapses on the ground.

He looks over to see the other remaining beings moving in rapid blurs, the occasional cut getting in. Deciding to admire Sebastian's beauty later, Grell grabs his chainsaw and swings it at the Angel, slicing deeply into of its wings. She screeches out and turns around to hit him when Sebastian throws the last of his silverware into her back. Lucis gasps and moves to the side as Grell and Sebastian attack at the same time, nearly hitting each other. Sebastian ducks to the right to avoid the spinning blades of DEATH~, or so Grell would say, and Lucis takes advantage of this momentary distraction to get the first good hit.

The blade slices through the front of his shoulder and out back. Sebastian gasps slightly at the smoldering pain and pulls back, his hand going to the wound. When he had first grabbed the sword to stop her attack he hadn't noted the odd burning sensation to actually be caused because of the special sword. When ever he'd get a hit on him, the wound continues to burn for a little while as if Sebastian's body is allergic to it. Vaguely, Sebastian hopes that Ciel didn't feel like this when he touched a cat. If so, he can now sympathize with his Young Master much more about being so adamant of no cats near him.

Deciding he's had quite enough of this, Sebastian turns his glowing eyes towards the Angel and he can feel shadows starting to flicker around his dangerous aura. With a snarl he rushes her in a mass of darkness and claws at her, wanting to be able to rip the Holy being to pieces. Lucis' screams echo out at the pain but she fights back with her hand, the sword being useless in the close combat.

Suddenly, her cries stop and it becomes eerily silent. Then Sebastian is thrown back in a burst of white light.

"Ah! Sebas-chan!" Grell shouts, glancing at the demon before turning back to the Angel who is glowing an odd bright white. He takes in the blood all over her body, the jagged cuts ripped in her torso. Grell can't believe she's still standing and even had the power to throw Sebastian back.

Sebastian is standing up, looking warily at Lucis. Something doesn't seem right about this. She should not have the power to do this unless… Sebastian's eyes widen as he comes to a terrible conclusion.

"I will kill you, even if it's the last thing I do," Lucis hisses.

Grell glares and rushes directly at her with his chainsaw raised before Sebastian can tell him to stop. The Shinigami thrusts the blade into her chest but pauses when nothing happens. Then Lucis suddenly explodes into a horribly bright light and pure force, sending Grell flying into a heap on the stone floor.

Sebastian surrounds himself last minute in the shadows around him and pushes himself as far away as he can. Even so, the bright light strikes through the dark wrap and stuns him for a moment, creating a blinding pain in his mind which leaves him dazed on the floor. A distant rumbling and crashing forces him to become aware of his surroundings and he blinks to clear his vision.

This is what he was afraid of. Sure, the Angels kamikaze move had hurt, but it'd be nothing if he fell down into the pit under this cave. All around this area are hollow tunnels and chambers, which is why he was able to kick through one part of the wall. However, underneath this room is an almost endless pit of unspeakable horrors. Even demons like him are frightened by it. Lucifer himself did not even control what goes on down there and it is mostly used as a final torture for demons as they rot forever in a fate worse than Hell. Looking around him, he can see chunks of rock collapsing and a giant fissure forming in the ground.

He has to get out of here.

Getting up unsteadily, his vision is almost clear of the white spots. The ground below him continues to shake as more rocks fall and the crack starts to widen, collapsing into a pitch black pit. Then he notices a mass of red lying in front of it.

"Grell! Get up!" Sebastian shouts furiously at the reaper. Didn't that idiot know what would happen if he fell down there? Well, probably not, but that isn't the point!

More slabs of stone continue their way to the ground and Grell looks up slowly when he hears his name called. His glasses have slid off of his nose and hang limply from the chain around his neck. He goes to reach for them when there's a tremendous crash beside him. Shocked, Grell jumps and makes out the form of a large stone. Standing up uneasily, he looks forward and barely makes out a form of black: Sebas-chan. The ground shakes and he finally realizes what must be happening. Turning his head back, he sees a large, gaping fracture in the ground that continues to widen. He tries to run forward on his shaky legs but loses his balance and the rock disappears from underneath him.

There's so much rock and debris falling, Sebastian can barely make out the Shinigami's form properly.

Then he hears a terrified scream.

In a split decision, the demon rushes forward, smaller rocks cutting into his arm, and dives to the edge of the cliff. Wrapping a clawed hand around the petrified reaper's wrist, he stops him from descending in the unforgiving pit.

Grell looks up from his horror and makes out Sebastian's features weakly. He's so taken back that he stays silent as the demon pulls him up. Numbly, he raises his glasses back to his face and whispers in a stunned voice, "Sebas-chan…"

"Don't," Sebastian warns, glaring at him. "I've merely decided you have your uses. Do not think of it as anymore than that."

Grell blinks then a delighted smile crosses his face. "Oh Sebas-chan, you may say that, but I know what you _really_ mean~"

Sebastian gives him a dangerous look. "I mean what I said, Grell Sutcliff. I never tell lies."

_Heh. But Sebas-chan, do you not realize you told me 'not to _think_ of it as anymore' and not merely 'it is nothing more than that'? _Terribly happy and having recovered from his near death shock, he spins happily between the falling debris.

Stepping in a moist pool of blood, Grell sees Zachary's form and waves at it. "Bye bye~ It seems you were not able to defeat me after all, my dear Zachary. But do not worry yourself; I'll be sure to tell _everyone_ of your final moments."

"Grell, if you are done conversing with that corpse, I would like to leave before this cave collapses on us," Sebastian says with a frustrated tone.

"Hmm? Oh yes, I'm coming~" Grell jumps over to Sebastian's side and rushes through the tunnel that Ciel and Alois had taken.

* * *

><p>A little further away, William T. Spears clutches at a frightful wound. Glaring at the person in front of him, he wipes the blood from the corner of his mouth and raises his Death Scythe once again.<p>

"You will not get away with this."

* * *

><p><strong>Wow it's weird writing a fight scene ^^; Anyway, how was this chapter? BTW! It's my birthday in... 3 days! so I will treat any reviews like presents from you lovely people ^^ In return, you can have some imaginary slices of my awesome cake (I know this INCREDIBLE person who bakes cakes [just like from the show Cake Boss] and she's making me one. I'm not sure of the theme, but I think it might be Harry Potter! Heh, I love that series too much ^^ ) Soo yeah :) Next chapter we'll see what Will was up to after he and Grell got back from the Shinigami realm and why he's in so much trouble. <em>Again<em>. That silly William, always getting in to bad situations~ ^^ AND we get to see who he's talking to at the end of this chapter ;) Do you have any guesses? Until next time~**


	13. Fight, Appearance of the Loved and Hated

**Hello everyone~ It's been so long DX I'm sorry this chapters out a little later than usual but life's been busy I suppose. Hnn...Anyway, thanks again for all the reviews! They really make me happy and keep this story going ^^ I can't believe I'm at the 13th chapter already! Holy! Haha I can still remember writing the first chapter and wondering if anyone would read this ^^; So thanks for all the support! The beggining of this chapter explains more about what happened before Grell returned to Hell. And we get to see Anne-Marie again. We see her so much I'm starting to think she's becoming a main character ^^; Soo I hope you enjoy this chapter as well and I'd love to hear your opinions~**

**P.S. Thanks for all the birthday wishes! ^^**

**TROLOL: ^^ I'm glad to hear from you again~ and yes. SebastianxCiel = greatest thing since air**

**Warnings*Mature language, sexual scenes, Yaoi, a couple OCs :( , gore, spoilers for whole manga/anime, character death**

* * *

><p><em>~3<em>_rd__ Person POV~ Before the events of last chapter_

William can not believe he is actually running away with _Grell Sutcliff_ of all people. Yet here he is, racing through a passage to the mortal realm with the red head. Well, brunette, technically. That is beside the point though. Grell's new choice of appearance should be of miniscule concern compared to the situation he is in at the moment. When Dresdner finds out what has happened…

In a brief moment of uncharacteristic behavior, William almost wants to laugh out loud at the expression that would cross his boss' face when he realizes that he and Grell have _both_ escaped. However, he restrains himself and observes the realm he has entered.

It's a dreary autumn day. The skies are grey, the clouds are crying and everything is annoyingly damp. If it weren't for the fact that he is getting drenched out here, William would be quite pleased with the weather. He does not like the bright, cheery days that lull people into a false sense of safety. Life is not like that. It is a cruel world where fate plays tricks on you, eventually taking away everything you care about until you yourself die a pitiful death, alone. William has seen too much death in his lifetime to think of it as anything less than that. He remembers all too well how he had died and then been given a second chance as a reaper. That in itself was another twist of cruel fate, forcing him to remember the horrors he had gone through as a mortal. Thankfully, after a couple hundred years of practice though, he's able to block out most, if not all, of his emotions.

Grell lets out an annoyed noise and Will notices him digging through the bag he has with him, pulling out a red brush and running it through his damp hair. The brown fades out and Grell's natural scarlet hair is revealed again.

"It wasn't raining a couple hours ago…" Grell mutters to himself as he swishes his hair around. "So much for my brilliant disguise."

"Sutcliff, what do you expect to do now that you have brought us to the human world?" Will asks him emotionlessly.

"You mean what do _we_ plan to do, right, Will~?" A seductive smile comes over his face. "I have an idea how we could spend our time, William~"

"Goodbye." With that, Will turns around to leave, walking away in the rain.

"Wait, Will!" Grell cries out desperately. "It was only a suggestion! Don't take it seriously! WILL~!"

William pauses and turns his head to look back in time to see Grell launch himself at him. Grell wraps himself around one of the taller Shinigami's arms and stares at him with a pleading look.

"Sutcliff, I don't know if you realize the gravity of this situation. It should be quite apparent by now, but then again, it's _you_ we're talking about," Will says with disdain.

"What do you mean by '_you_'?" Grell demands agonizingly. "And of course I realize the situation we're in, but what are we going to do about it? I just thought that we should have fun because honestly, what else can we do now?"

"I don't know, but I do know that I don't need to stay with you. It's your fault we're in this mess. If you weren't so incompetent, this never would have happened," William states coldly and pulls away from the redhead.

Grell tries to pretend that that comment didn't hurt. "But you have nowhere to go! How do you expect to survive?"

"I can just take food by force from stands," Will says simply. "It's not like mortals can stand up to a God of Death."

Grell sighs at him in exasperation. "William, if you go around killing people, they get suspicious. Trust me, I've tried it." William goes to say something but Grell cuts him off. "Threatening them that you're a Shinigami does not work either. They will merely think you're crazy and lock you up in a psych ward."

William closes his mouth, out of ideas. If going around threatening and using physical violence doesn't work, then how the hell did anything get done in this world? It always works on Sutcliff and the other workers… There just isn't any other way to treat people, is there?

Grell can see the gears in Will's mind churning, trying to think of another solution. "William, just come stay with me in my mansion. You're going to catch a cold if you stand outside in the rain all day." Grell murmurs, reaching out and taking William's arm.

William stares down at the other reaper with conflicting options. Perhaps Grell is right and he should just stay with the Shinigami for now. It'd certainly be easier than trying to live with humans again. William nods his head and an ecstatic smile crosses Grell's face, his eyes lighting up.

"Oh, my mansion is _so_ beautiful, Will~ You're going to love it," the reaper sings out happily. "And then you can try on some of my new designs because your uniform is absolutely soaked and…"

Is it too late to back out and sit on the corner with the other homeless men? Apparently so as Grell has a vice like grip on his arm and is leading him through a bunch of yellow leaved trees, away from civilization.

William blocks out Grell's constant babbling and tries to concern himself with more important matters. He has no idea what he's supposed to do now. Being a Shinigami had been everything to him. William has nothing else to turn to as his life is completely dedicated to his job. Now that he doesn't even have that, what can he do?

He thinks vaguely of Undertaker. That Shinigami has lived for centuries among humans as a caretaker of the dead. If that unstable man can do it, than can't he? Except, there's the fact that Undertaker is _unstable_.

Now Will thinks of Grell. The red reaper has been frequenting the human realm very often recently since he started his clothing line. The only reason he's actually permitted a second 'job' is because it actually causes less problems for the Board if Grell is out of the perimeter. So, they allow him to live in the human realm as long as he does his job and doesn't break any rules― like turning into a mass murderer again.

However, Grell falls under the 'unstable' category as well, so that's not very useful.

"Ah! There it is," Grell says and lets go of Will's arm, bounding with supernatural strength the last stretch of the walk.

Grell pushes open the front doors and saunters in, admiring his large house. It's a lot nicer than the tiny apartment they offered him in the Shinigami realm. Then he notices the marble pillar in which there is a small, fist shaped hole.

"Anne-Marie!" the redhead shouts out.

A false blonde haired girl comes running from around the corner and bows quickly. "Mademoiselle Grell! Welcome back."

"Why haven't you fixed this yet?" Grell waves in distraught at the ugly hole marring the pillar. "For William to have to see this place in such distress, oh I'm so embarrassed~!"

The maid looks panicked. "Oh I am terribly sorry! I was not sure of what to do about it― is your hand alright?"

Grell waves her off. "Yes, it healed quickly. _Anyway._ Anne-Marie, this is William~ Will, this is one of my servants."

"Pleasure," William says curtly before turning back to the red head. "If I may, how do you get these people to work for you? Did you not say threatening them with being a Shinigami doesn't work?"

"Ah, well you see~" Grell pokes his fingers together uneasily. "You know those souls I'm supposed to collect?"

William's eyebrow twitches. He can already tell he isn't going to like this answer. "Yes. Considering that I'm the one who dispatches your Death List, I know very well those souls you are _supposed_ to collect."

Grell lets out a nervous chuckle. "Yes, well, I figured that if I offered some of these people a job at my mansion, I wouldn't reap their souls for another five years. Most of them seem willing to work for me instead of dying so it all worked out fine in the end! …Will? Are you mad?"

When William is silent instead of scolding him, it usually means he's pretty pissed. _At least he's not yelling at me like that one time_, Grell thought in relief.

"Please do not be mad at Mademoiselle, Master William," Anne-Marie pleads. "I am very content to be 'ere. I even got to say goodbye to my family before I left instead of being kidnapped and murdered like I was supposed to be. Zese last few years working with Mademoiselle Grell 'ave been fantastic, so _please_ do not be angry with 'er."

William looks at the maid for a moment. "You are lucky I am in no position to fire you at the moment, Grell. If I had learnt of this earlier, there would've been no way to save your job. However, seeing as we both are no longer welcome there, I am willing to ignore this conversation and pretend like it never happened."

Grell lets out a thankful breath before a dangerous smile crosses his face. "Oh _Will_~ Let's get you out of those drenched clothes and into something more _comfortable_."

William summons his Death Scythe and gives him a warning look. "If you lay even one finger on me, I have no qualms against striking you."

A delighted shiver passes through Grell. "_William_~ You're so attractive when you act like that~ Yes! Let's embrace in another passionate battle like before. I'll even let you dominate me again~ Mm I can already― OUCH!"

Anne-Marie watches as William grabs a fistful of Grell's long hair and pulls him down the hall. "Stop saying such disgusting things― it makes me want to hit you even more."

"_Oh please, William_― HEY!"

"I told you I would."

"YES BUT NOT ACROSS THE FACE, YOU BASTARD!"

The slightly frightened maid stares after the disappearing duo, wondering if this is actually the William Mademoiselle Grell always speaks of. It must be, she figures. If it had been anyone else and they had hit her face, well, Anne-Marie would most likely have a very bloody mess to clean up. Vaguely, she wonders if it's healthy that she's almost used to all these strange happenings in this mansion.

* * *

><p>William looks through the clear night, observing the pale moon. Over the course of a couple of hours, the sky had cleared and the rain had ceased. He's once again dressed in his suit, having forced Grell to get it cleaned for him. It's very peaceful for once. No forms to fill out, no souls to reap, no annoying Shinigami to pester him. Yes, for once, William T. Spears would be able to truly relax for a moment.<p>

Grell had fallen asleep a little while ago, claiming he needed his 'beauty sleep' or something ridiculous like that. He could have just said he was tired, but _no_, it was because sleep made him _beautiful_. William scoffs at his illogic.

Sitting there on the tree branch, completely at peace, William is extremely surprised when a form walks out from the trees. Then it looks up at him.

"Grell Sutcliff?" A velvet voice drawls, looking up at William with ruby eyes.

In response, Will launches his Death Scythe at the female. "No, William T. Spears."

"Oh? What a shame. I was actually looking to _repay_ him for a little matter he caused. Do you know where I could find him?" The sweet voice asks.

William's face contorts into a snarl. "Do you not remember who I am?"

The female blinks. "Have we met?"

"Of course you wouldn't remember the little boy who made a contract with you once upon a time. He's was merely another meal, another piece of meat for you to chew on. Slaughtering him and his family wasn't a big deal for a demon like you because they were only mere humans," William says with a deadly tone, his anger coming back to him just like all those centuries ago. "However, you missed me. I was the boy's older brother who showed up to find his entire family dead and a vile creature licking up their remains."

"Spears, Spears." The demon taps her finger against her chin thoughtfully before her eyes light up. "Ah yes! I remember now~ You weren't there when the boy introduced me to the rest of the family. Such a sweet kid, so innocent, so delicious…" A predator smirk crosses her face and her eyes gleam red. "So, William _T_. Spears, allow me to introduce myself. I am Raisa _I._ Aquilla, the fiancée of Satan's Knight."

"You say that as if I care. The only thing that matters to me is ridding you and the rest of your insufferable kind from this planet," William says and hops down from the tree with a large sweep from his Death Scythe.

Raisa lets out an amused laugh and hops over the blade, pulling out a pair of small blades from the thigh holders under her dress. "Oh my~ Such strong words from one of your kind. Are you not neutral? Attacking a demon in the middle of this war―"

"Stop your needless speaking," William states while running forward rapidly and dodging the knives slashed at him. He retracts his Death Scythe and slices it across her side, leaving a trail of crimson behind.

Raisa looks surprised he managed a hit before her grin becomes even larger and she speeds up. A slash to the right, to the left, followed up by a spin kick and a back fist trailing behind it. William dodges, moving backwards and away from the rapid movements. As she's slowing down from the kick, he raises his weapon and strikes at her. The demon moves out of the way and to the side before almost running into a tree. She lets out a frustrated noise and ducks down as a kick sails past her, having nowhere else to go.

"Look here, boy, I have no business with you. I only want to find the one named _Grell Sutcliff_," Raisa says in annoyance as she dodges the lawn equipment.

"What do you want with Sutcliff?" William breathes out as he moves to the side to avoid a deadly slash, almost hitting an oak tree.

"It's _his_ entire fault. I could never go against Michaelis, but there's nothing stopping me from taking my anger out on that Shinigami. Now if you would move," Raisa says, trying to get past him.

"The only way you'll get past me is if I'm dead," William says sternly.

Raisa pauses before a feral smirk appears on her face. "Fine, have it your way," she says easily before reaching in and grabbing his collar. "But it's a little crowded here, don't you think?"

William frowns. "What do you ―" his last words are cut off as a giant ring of fire surrounds the two and they disappear.

Hiding behind a tree, a blond head peeks out. "Huh. That was weird. I never thought the demon would take Spears. Perhaps I should tell Grell about this…"

Alois shrugs and skips back to the mansion.

…

"_WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE WAS TAKEN?"_ An enraged cry was heard from the mansion. In a mass of furious red, Grell storms around rapidly, running a brush through his red locks and applying makeup as Alois calmly tells him what happened. "I just got him back and he goes and gets stolen away _again_? That is no way to treat a lady after all the hard work she has put in! I've got the right mind to just leave him there for being so rude, leaving me all alone again."

"Well, if you do that, you might not actually see him again. Ever." Alois points out helpfully.

Grell pauses and lets his shoulders sag. "That idiot. Why didn't he just stay here? We could have easily beaten a demon together…"

Grell revs up his chainsaw but Alois speaks. "Wait, take me with you!"

Grell blinks. "Why? You'll just get in the way."

Alois crosses his arms and glares at him. "Well, considering I just told you where Spears is, I believe you owe me." Then a sadistic look comes over him. "And besides, if you leave me here, you'll never know what might happen to your mansion. I might accidently catch it on fire again."

"Wait, again?" Grell demands furiously and Alois shuts up. Then Grell lets out an annoyed noise. "Fine! Come with me then; but don't expect me to go out of my way to save you when you get in trouble!"

Alois shrugs and waves him off. "I'm alright with that."

Grell looks at him strangely before shaking it off and opening a passage into Hell.

* * *

><p><em>~Ciel's POV~ After the events of the previous chapter<em>

Alois and I have paused for a moment in one of the tunnels. We aren't sure of where we are going so I figure we should probably wait for Sebastian to catch up. There was a distant rumbling back from where we came not too long ago. It worries me a little. As this is an underground cave, if there is enough shaking, the whole tunnel could collapse upon us.

I hope Sebastian and Grell are faring well against Lucis and that Shinigami. I know that they are both extremely powerful but after all I've seen it'd be idiotic to believe that they might not come out of it alive. Who knows? If this underground network collapses, none of us might come out alive.

That's not the only thing that's worrying me though. The reason we stopped is because I saw something that made me pause. Alois assumed it was because I was tired. It was a blurry vision, but I swear I could pick out Alois in it. Alois and… I frown and try to bring up a clear image when there's another tremor through the ground.

"Ciel, I don't think we should wait too long here," Alois attempts, looking around the passage nervously.

I shake my head. "We don't even know where we are heading, though. Sebastian's coming and then―"

"We don't need to wait for Sebastian! Let's just go before it's too late!" Alois shouts at me angrily.

I narrow my eyes. "And what exactly do you mean by that, Trancy?"

Alois freezes when I call him by his last name, a flash of hurt crossing over his eyes. I hadn't called him that since the time when we were enemies, dueling each other with bloody swords.

Alois looks away and mumbles, "I don't see why you stay with him. He's just going to devour your soul, Ciel. That's all he cares about, so why?" Alois' voice rises desperately at the end.

"Don't be such a hypocr―" I cut myself off as I realize why he's saying this; it's because of Claude. Alois had been incredibly attached to the stoic demon, terribly obsessive and he had probably even fooled himself into loving him. And then the demon had killed him without a thought because he had found an even better meal: me. How betrayed Alois must have felt when he remembered that Claude had been the one to kill him. He's finally realized the true nature of demons. "Alois, I realize that. I have pledged my soul to him and am fine with the fact that Sebastian will take it."

"Well I'm not!" Alois cries out and wraps his arms around himself. "I―I don't w―want to be a―alone again, Ciel. They c―can't take you, _they can't take you too_!" Alois looks at me with broken eyes. "You're all that I have left, Ciel…"

An unsettling feeling settles inside me and Alois reads in my expression that I'm still sticking with my decision.

His face goes dark. "I won't allow it. I promise you that I will not allow your soul to be devoured by a demon."

"Alois, stop this! It is not your decision," I snap at him. I'm shocked when he suddenly rushed me, pushing me against the cold stone wall.

"Tell me, dearest Ciel, does it not hurt to know that Sebastian only wants your soul? Do you not feel the least bit upset that the person you trust the greatest is only using you as a food source?" His voice loses its venom and slowly becomes replaced with a terrible pain. "Remember the fact that he is a demon and apply it to all the times you spent with him. All the times where you thought he might actually care slightly for you, remember his true nature and where his loyalties really lay."

I can't help but remembering Lucifer saying "do not forget your duties" in the midst of when we were leaving and Sebastian pausing to bow down to him. Of course Sebastian's duties are of great importance; to deny the Ruler of Hell would be to sign your own death sentence. As much as I try to ignore Alois' words, I can't shake them off completely. The uneasy feeling has increased greatly and my breath has caught in my throat. Faintly, I hear Alois whispering quiet words, seemingly having forgotten I am here.

"…nothing…to him I'm nothing…he never…"

I have to admit I'm worried for my friend's mental health. He's always been dramatic and sometimes prone to mood swings, but never have I seen him this emotionally damaged.

"Alois?" I ask quietly.

Alois' mumblings stop immediately and he blinks, looking up at me. "Yes?"

A shiver passes through me at his indifference. "Are you…alright?"

Alois stares at me for a moment before a giggle slips past his lips. "Am I alright? Am _I_ alright? Oh, I'm bloody brilliant at the moment, Ciel! Ahaha!" Alois twirls around and ends with a clap of his hands and a chirper 'olé!' Then his face drops. "No, I do not believe I am alright. I haven't been since I met that damn demon. Speaking of him, he's coming this way."

I stare at him cautiously and wonder how he knows someone is coming. Then I hear it too: the faint sound of heels clacking down the tunnel. It gets closer and I can pick apart two different tones of footsteps. One belongs to a pair of high heels and the other is an average sounding footstep. A pair of forms make their way from the darkened halls at a fast pace. Sebastian. Good, they must've won the battle then.

I wait patiently for them to reach me and Alois, which doesn't take too long at the speed they are running. Vaguely, I notice the continuing tremors and shaking of the walls.

Sebastian smirks as he comes to a stop beside me and bows. "I have returned alive, just as ordered."

"So noted," I say dryly. Then I look pointedly at his shoulder. "You're still bleeding."

"I apologize. The Angel's sword seems to have some sort of power against my kind and I allowed it to pierce me as I was dodging this fool's chainsaw," Sebastian says with distaste, pointing at Grell. "We must keep going though. These passages are collapsing and we do not want to fall into the depths below."

I nod and our small group starts racing down the path again. The shaking becomes more violent and I take care on maintaining my balance as pebbles roll across the ground. Sebastian starts to take a left passage when I freeze.

"Stop!" I shout at Sebastian, Grell and Alois, who are all in front of me. "We can't go that way―"

As soon as I say that, there's an extremely violent tremor and the ground cracks open, breaking off into pieces and falling into a black pit. Grell gives me a stunned look.

That was close. Its good Sutcliff listened to me or else he would have fallen in that pit like I'd seen. These visions seem to be getting more frequent…Why? I had been worrying about these continuing tremors when that vision struck me. Maybe I am somehow learning how to control this thing better.

"We can backtrack and take a right. It'll lead us back up," Sebastian informs us and we turn around. Following the demon through the underground passages, we manage to make it to an uphill portion, instead of stairs. I block out how tiring this is and continue sprinting up the hill, hoping that we can get outside before anything else collapses. My wishes are met when arrive at a wall, which Sebastian promptly kicks through. The sun is bright and stuns me for a moment, being used to the darkness.

"Bo-chan, should we return to my manor?" Sebastian asks.

I nod. "It would probably be best. I do not wish to get into anymore of these battles."

There's still cries of agony and battles roaring around outside, though not nearly as many as there were. The ground is drenched in blood and gore, weapons lying about. The scent of death is in the air and I crinkle my nose at it. We head through the barren land, away from the battles and closing in on the mansion. Large rocky hills and cliffs hide us from the brawls going on.

Suddenly, the red reaper freezes. "William!" he shouts and sprints off in another direction, vanishing over the cliff in a couple seconds. I blink at where the fourth person of our group had been standing mere moments before.

Sebastian frowns for a moment. "I can sense Spears now, as well, though he's quite a bit away. I'm surprised Grell could sense him in this realm so easily. There's also… a demon near him…" A small mischievous smile crosses over Sebastian's face.

"Someone you know?" I question.

Sebastian looks at me and nods. "Yes. I'm quite interested in who will win. Either way, I don't mind which one of them perishes as they both annoy me greatly."

How…pleasant. Though, Sebastian did mention that he really had no connections to other demons, not even his father, whom I still have yet to encounter.

I notice Sebastian tense. "What is it?"

He doesn't answer but gives a stern look to the corner of the hill. Walking quickly, he turns it.

"…I thought I sensed you," he mutters.

Alois and I run up to the corner to see who is there. We both freeze immediately.

"Claude?" Alois lets out a choked noise, shaking.

My own eyes widen and I feel my jaw drop. Standing next to the hated demon is the boy I thought of as my brother for fourteen years. The boy I had gone and rescued that night, the night where I had met Sebastian again. The boy who I had tried to protect and left without saying goodbye. Somehow, he has wound himself up in another's web, and this time I wonder if I can save him. "Mare, _what the Hell have you done?_"

* * *

><p><em>~3<em>_rd__ Person POV~_

Grell glides over the hills, landing gracefully as he hops down from one. He had sensed William's presence and that matters more than everything else. Sebastian can take care of himself, hopefully.

A worrisome thought fills his mind though. Why is it so hard to focus on Will? Grell _knows_ he's around here, but the trace he's following seems…weak. With renewed energy, he sprints even faster, ignoring his aching body. As much as he doesn't want to admit it, fighting Zachary and then getting blasted by an Angel took a lot out of him.

He walks out from a fracture between a large plateau and into a rocky plain. And there, lying in a small pool of blood, is a Shinigami.

"_William!_" Grell cries out and rushes forward desperately, dropping beside the man. "Will!"

William opens his eyes slowly to see the form of Grell Sutcliff leaning over him, staring with tear filled eyes and calling his name. It's hard to take note of his surroundings because of the long, red hair that's cascading around him but he knows exactly where he is.

"Will," Grell breathes out quietly and caresses the man's face, wiping off some blood. It is then when Grell decides that red does not suit William at all. No, never should this man be covered in a sheet of crimson red.

"Grell," William gets out, his voice hoarse from the parched feeling of his throat. "Where is she?"

Grell's eyebrows crease. "Who?"

"The demon, you idiot!" Will tries to snap but is too tired.

"Demon?" Grell looks up just in time to catch William's Death Scythe being launched at him, almost impaling his head. He holds it, eyes wide, less then five centimeters from his face. William stares up, almost as shocked as Grell, looking at his own weapon that almost killed the red head.

"You must be Grell Sutcliff, then," Raisa says easily from her spot on top of a lone boulder. "I've been looking for you. Unfortunately, your little friend here got in the way."

Grell sets the Death Scythe beside its owner and stands in front of Will protectively. "Who are you?"

"My name is Raisa. Before I kill you, I have one question." Raisa jumps down from the rock. "Who's the boy that Michaelis is so fond of?"

"Michaelis? By any chance, do you mean Sebas-chan?" Grell asks curiously, somehow not feeling threatened by the demon.

"Sebastian." Raisa tests the name out oddly on her tongue. "That is what the boy called him."

"The kid's name is Ciel Phantomhive, but what does any of this have to do with me?" Grell demands in confusion.

"It's your fault that Michaelis wants the boy! Because of you, I have been shamed! The only punishment for this crime is in a bloody death," Raisa snaps.

"How is it my fault that Sebas-chan is obsessed with the brat, you crazy bitch? Why don't you go after _him_?" Grell asks, not seeing this woman's logic. Honestly, females can be so confusing!

"Because he's my fiancé. I could never go against him, and yet he shames me so! Sleeping with the human boy willingly, in his own realm, while he is engaged to me? Aiko must have told everyone by now." Furious, Raisa pulls out her two blades and holds them up, preparing to murder the Shinigami.

"Sebas-chan…has a fiancée?" Grell murmurs thoughtfully. Maybe _that's_ why he always rejected him― but what about the brat? Then the reaper's eyes catch onto the crimson on the blade and his vision goes red. That is William's blood on the bitch's knives.

With an angered shout, Grell rushes the female demon with his chainsaw. "How _dare_ you touch Will. I'm going to cover you in a blanket of red so thick that no one will be able to recognize your hideous face!"

"Ha! A pathetic reaper like you could never kill me. I'll bring back your severed head and Tavarius will be so pleased," Raisa says and slashes at him rapidly.

As Grell dodges, he notices some fresh wounds on her body, most likely from William. They are especially on her right side, making that a better target.

"Who's Tavarius?" Grell manages to ask as he blocks a knife with his Death Scythe and kicks her other hand away.

"What― does it matter, Shinigami?" The demon responds in between hits.

"It doesn't, I was trying to distract you." As Grell says this he leans forward, pretending to slice with his chainsaw. Raisa moves to the side, as expected, and Grell uses his momentum to spin and deliver a powerful kick to her right side. The demon lets out a pained gasp but manages to hold her ground and clutches at the foot that hit her. Not expecting that, Grell freezes and almost looses his balance. Raisa gives him a dangerous smirk before using the limb to whip him into the boulder she had been previously standing on. Grell hits it hard before falling to the ground.

_God_ is his back sore. He wants nothing more than to just lay there and go to sleep, but his eyes catch on William's form. Groggily getting up, he tries to summon his chainsaw before remembering that it's already out and lying near the demon. Shit.

"Hmm you're pretty tough," the lady demon comments with approval before coming at him with her knives.

"Please, as if that could finish _me_~ Bring― it― _on~!_" Raisa takes his invitation and slashes at him as before. However, she's stunned as none of her hits land, the reaper moving like a blur with a pointed smile on his face. Then Grell throws a punch forward and hits her in the face. Surprised with the impact, her knives pause and Grell continues his rapid hits.

Raisa hisses and back flips away after recieving hit multiple times. She licks the blood off of her split lip and gives him a fierce glare. Grell grabs his chainsaw and swings it at her, slicing her arm open. The demon's aura darkness and she races toward the reaper as well, the metals clanging against each other. What Grell is not expecting is her to drop one of the knives and her hand fill with flames instead. He shouts out when the fire burns the sleeve of his beloved coat and heats his flesh. Pulling back, he frantically hits the flame out and stares with horror at the gaping hole in his beautiful jacket. Then he looks back at the demon warily. How is he supposed to get close to her if she'll just burn him?

Grell doesn't have time to think of an answer before she's at him again. He raises his chainsaw to intercept the blade while trying to dodge the fire burning in her hand. It results in him getting many cuts and small burns as he tries to dodge both. Grell lets out a pained gasp as the blade buries straight into his sternum. Staring at it in disbelief, he goes to pull it out and barely registers the flaming hand heading towards his face.

The flash of a metal blade races in front of Grell's eyes and severs the hand at the wrist. Looking to the side he sees William standing unsteadily on his feet, holding his Death Scythe tightly in his hands while blood drips from the side of his mouth. Grell flinches at the scream that escapes the demon's mouth from the pain of having her limb cut off. Raisa rips her knife out of Grell's sternum― who hisses at the uncomfortable feeling― and whips it at Will.

"I'm going to _kill you_!" Raisa leaves Grell and moves so quickly William barely has time to register she's in front of him before she backhands him across the face, making him fall backwards again.

"William!" Grell rushes forward to help the fallen reaper but Raisa turns around and gives him a powerful back kick to the stomach, making him choke on the blood that suddenly rose in his throat. It is a very powerful kick and when mixed with a demon it could easily rupture internal organs and result in death.

Panting from the pain and physical exertion, Raisa shoves the momentarily stunned red head against a solid wall of the plateau and rips his Death Scythe from his grip.

William watches painfully from the ground, trying to push himself up. Surely, this isn't happening; it can't be. However, as he's staring, the demon picks up the spinning blade and shoves it through Grell's chest. Grell's eyes go wide and he throws up a terrifying amount of blood over him and the demon. The Shinigami stands there for a moment, his hands twitching at the large metal form in his chest, not quite comprehending that his Death Scythe has been impaled in him. Then Raisa pulls it out and drops it to the side. Grell falls to his knees, his breathing erratic and his face pained, before slumping to the side.

A terrified horror fills Will as he sees the other reaper collapse. William isn't stupid; far from it, actually. If Grell couldn't even beat the demon, then there isn't a great chance that he will be making it out alive either.

Raisa, breathing heavily, turns to Will. "There. Now sit still, boy, while I kill you." The demon walks over and picks up the other Death Scythe. "I think I'll kill you with your preferred weapon as well as a final mockery to you."

William remains silent as the female approaches him holding his weapon, staring at her with a defiant look. This might very well be the end of William T. Spears. Vaguely, he wonders what happens to a Shinigami when they die. His eyes flicker over to Grell one last time― and then he freezes when said red head's eyes open to meet his.

Grell winks at him and blows him a kiss. William twitches and Grell raises a finger to his lips, telling him to be silent. _How…How is this possible?_ William demands himself. After receiving such a horrifying wound from a Death Scythe, _how is it possible Grell Sutcliff is still moving_?

Grell gets up complete noiseless and picks up his chainsaw. There's blood still dripping off him and his white shirt is almost completely stained in scarlett. Yet, he still moves forward carefully, silently, like a predator stalking its prey.

"Any last words, boy?" Raisa asks with a smirk, holding the Death Scythe tightly.

William's green eyes flicker back to her. "You are a fool to think that you could put an end to Grell Sutcliff. No matter what happens, for some reason _he always comes back_."

Raisa blinks at him in confusion before a piercing rev noise behind her makes the demon whip around.

"Welcome to DEATH~!" Grell cries out ecstatically before whipping the chainsaw at her throat. The demon's head falls off its corpse and the body tumbles to the ground in a pool of dark blood.

William reaches out for his Death Scythe and uses it as a support to push himself off of the ground. Then he hears the clang of metal. Looking up at Grell, he notices the reaper has dropped his Scythe and is almost shaking on his feet.

"Grell, are you―" William stops when Grell coughs up more crimson liquid.

Then Grell takes a couple of hesitant steps towards Will before looking up at the taller Shinigami. He cups his cheek and smiles gently at him, not revealing his deadly teeth this time.

"Will~ I'm glad…you're alright," Grell whispers before falling forward, his eyes shutting.

"Grell?" William demands while dropping his Death Scythe to catch the reaper in his arms.

"I'm so sorry," Grell murmurs against the base of his neck. "You were right― this is all… my fau…"

He isn't able to finish his sentence before he passes out from his fatal wound.

William stares down at the mass of red against him, fear flickering through his eyes. "Grell." He shakes him slightly. "Grell. _Grell!_"

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><p><strong>The end. <strong>

**Of this chapter, of course ^^ Heh imagine if someone actually ended a story like this- I'd shoot them. Don't worry there are still a few chapters left of this story (I think. Haven't completely planned them all out yet but I have a general idea. I think.) D; GRELL! I'm sorry! Hopefully you're alright, but then again, Shinigami can die from Death Scythes... Also, that bastard Claude is back (currently rewatching KuroII and he's such an ass! Though he _is_ sort of attractive, I guess...) But you knew he'd return eventually, didn't you? Oh and that Alois! Sneaky little kid, wandering through forests early in the morning...Not the least bit suspicious ^^ Hopefully you guys liked this chapter and I'd love to hear from you ^^ BTW, I really enjoy Anne-Marie~ I think if I write another FF after this, I might include her again because I do enjoy her so. Originally she was just this maid I made up on spot in chapter 6 to answer the door, but she keeps reappearing! **

**P.S. MY ACOUNT ON POTTERMORE HAS BEEN ACTIVATED. You can tell me in a review if you have a file as well and I'll message you my name so we can be friends in the mystical land of Harry Potter too~! Kuroshitsuji and Harry Potter = greatest things since SebastianxCiel and air. **


	14. Spider, Finding of a Secret and a Plot

**Hello everybody~ I have been pretty busy- again. I'm writing a short story for my English class so it sort of takes up my time sometimes :/ Anyways, as always, thanks for reviewing this story and just reading it! ^^ I hope you enjoy this chapter as well, though I've noticed it's a little shorter than my usuall... ^^; There's not too much left of this story though, really! D: I can't believe I've almost managed to write a whole fic...It's sort of sad that it'll end :/ Note: The beggining of this chapter connects directly after the end of this chapter but there'll only be a _tiny_ part with Will and Grell, the rest is following Ciel and Sebastian! Soo...I hope you enjoy it! ^^**

**Warnings*Mature language, sexual scenes, Yaoi, a couple OCs :( , gore, spoilers for whole manga/anime**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji**

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><p>After having set the red head down, William opens a pathway to the Shinigami realm. He then sends his Death Scythe away for later use. After a moment's hesitation, he picks up Grell's Scythe and sends it away with his own. He'd retrieve it for the flamboyant Reaper later― that is, if the Reaper is even alive to want it back.<p>

Carefully picking up Grell and making sure he has a good grip on him, William trudges through the white path into his realm.

His eyes adjust from the light and he sees he's back in his office once again. Though William is aware he's not exactly welcome here at the moment, it's the best chance Grell has for survival. Staying in Hell was a definite no, the humans are too stupid to be able to help a wound this bad, and Heaven is a little preoccupied in a war. So, Will has returned to the Shinigami realm.

His office looks exactly the way he left it. The papers are stacked in neat piles, pens placed carefully in a cup, his seat pushed in. Even the file he had been writing is still left open, a sentence cut off in mid phrase. The only thing that's off is the Reaper standing in the middle of his room, mouth gaping open.

"Mr. Spears? Senpai?" Ronald chokes, staring at the beat down Shinigami.

"Knox," Will mutters with approval and takes a careful step towards him. "Help him," he demands as he hands over Grell.

"Um, Mr. Spears, what exactly― Mr. Spears!" Ronald shouts out as the older Reaper promptly passes out. Looking uncertainly between his superiors― one being held in his arms, the other lying on the floor― Ronald is faced with a great dilemma.

Grell is bleeding greatly and if he doesn't aid him, he'll surely die. William, too, does not look so good, though he does not seem as bad as Grell at the moment. He could turn them over to Dresdner, which would be the honest thing to do. However, he can't just let these two die. Ronald's known them too long, has spent too many times with these Reapers.

With a quick decision, Ronald takes his Senpai rapidly to an emergency unit where one of his nurse friends would be. He knows he can convince her to help him and make her keep quiet; at least, for a little while. After he takes care of Grell, he'll go fetch William and it'll be alright. Maybe he'll even stand guard over them tonight, just too make sure they're okay. However, the next day Ronald knows he will be too busy to watch over his friends.

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><p><em>~Ciel POV~<em>

Everyone is in their own state of shock as we stare at each other. It seems unreal that somehow we all would meet up here. Though, the one that stumps me the most is Mare. As I had said, _what the hell_?

"Sebastian Michaelis. Alois Trancy. _Ciel Phantomive_."

I swear I saw the demon's tongue swipe across his lips at the last name.

"Caelum…You're alive?" Mare asks meekly.

"Of course I'm alive, you idiot. Can't you see me standing here? You still haven't answered my question: what are you doing here with that demon?" I demand, hoping that it isn't the obvious answer. There's no way this boy could have found Claude. Life can't be that cruel, can it?

Vaguely, I notice Alois wrapping his arms around torso, as if trying to hold himself together. There's a medley of mixed emotions in his eyes as he stares at Claude.

"The boy's contracted to me, of course. But the curious thing is, how do you know him, Ciel Phantomhive?" Claude asks, ignoring Alois completely.

I feel my hands clench. So he _did_ contract him after all. "You idiot! You stupid child, what possible reason could _you_ have for selling your soul to a demon?"

Mare stares at me with an uncomprehending look before his eyes harden slightly. "I did it for you, bastard. Did you really think I was going to let my little brother's killer get away? Though now I see you're not dead…."

My eyes widen and I feel numb. He did it…for me? Damn him. _Damn him!_ Yet another person I've come to care about is going to die because of me.

"Mom and Dad said they were going to look for you but I couldn't just sit around," Mare continues, not knowing of their current state. "That thing that night, it wasn't human. It wasn't like I could tell them that though so I had to find a new way. I came across this demon and…"

I can finish the rest myself. Mare wanted revenge against the person he thought had killed me, though I don't think he's really come to terms about the deal he's made. I can see it in his eyes, the terrible fear hiding behind the surface he's created.

"Hoheo taralna, rondero tarel," Alois says quietly, interrupting us.

We all turn to look at him.

"Alois Trancy," Claude says the name emotionlessly. "I must say I am surprised to see you again."

"Claude," Alois whispers quietly. Then he raises his eyes to meet the demon's. "You used me to get to Ciel. How could you, after everything?"

"He's a demon, Trancy," Sebastian answers instead. "It was foolish on your part to believe him to behave otherwise."

Alois' eyes go narrow in rage and he turns to roar at Sebastian, "Shut up, you piece of shit! You only loved Ciel too. Everybody, _everybody_ loves Ciel. The demons, the angels, the humans…But you can't have him! None of you bastards deserve him, not even myself."

"Alois, calm down," I tell him strictly.

Alois turns and faces me, a small frown on his face. "If…If I killed you, then they wouldn't be able to have you."

I take a step back, my eyes widening.

Sebastian also approaches me.

"But what if you're reincarnated again? I wouldn't be able to protect you." Alois shakes his head and murmurs something else inaudible under his breath.

"Caelum, is your friend alright?" Mare asks cautiously, staring at the blond uncertainly. He's never seen Alois act like this in all the years he's known him.

Before I can answer him though, Claude speaks up.

"Mare Shanin, it seems the terms of our contract have been fulfilled. Now you must complete your side."

My brother looks up at him in surprise. "W―what?" he stutters. "N―no, I wanted reven―"

"The terms of the contract were 'to find the creature who took your brother from you'. When we agreed to the deal, you made no specific mentions of revenge, therefore our deal has concluded. The demon Sebastian Michaelis took your brother, Ciel Phantomhive," Claude says dully, as if he is already bored of the young man's presence.

Horror crosses the boy's face as he realizes his mistake. It is like Mare to be naïve enough not to specify his desires clearly. He didn't realize that the monster would look for any loopholes in their deal and play them to his advantage. After all, what should the demon care as long as he gets his meal quicker?

Mare looks at me desperately. "Caelum!" he cries out, reaching for me. No longer is he the seventeen year old boy but a frightened child again, realizing too late the consequences of his actions.

Even though I know all too well that he's brought this upon himself, I can't help but want him to be safe. "Ma―" I cut myself off as I stare sickly at Claude.

In the second I had spoken, Claude removed his glove from his left hand and buried the appendage in Mare's chest. Mare doesn't even seem to realize what has happened before Claude pulls his hand back out, gripping something wet and slimy.

_It's his heart_, I realize nauseously. Then I watch in repulsion as he lifts it to his mouth and squeezes it, letting the blood pour past his lips. Turning to the side, I fall to my knees and throw up violently, trying to get the image of the demon greedily drinking the blood from my brother's heart out of my head.

"Bo-chan!" Sebastian is at my side immediately, tentatively reaching out for me as I kneel shakily on the ground. "Bo-chan, are you alright?"

"…nt …m …ed" I mutter.

"What was that?" Sebastian questions.

I get up, my eyes burning. "I said I want him dead! Sebastian, hurry up and kill him!"

After a moment, Sebastian bows. "Yes, my Lord."

Alois has frozen as well, staring at Claude as Sebastian immediately rushes him.

Instead of his usual silverware, I note that Sebastian attacks only with his physical body. I wonder why but then figure he must have used up all the rest.

"Attacking while I was enjoying a meal? One would've though you'd have more manners, Sebastian Michaelis," Claude says snidely as he dodges carefully, letting the limp organ drop from his hand.

"You judge my manners after that scene you just displayed? How atrocious, to devour one's soul that way in front of an audience," Sebastian remarks with distaste as they fight rapidly.

Their movements are blurred together as I watch on and I'm reminded of that one day where they had battled on the oversized chess board. That had been the day where I had stabbed Alois and Claude had tasted my blood, changing everything.

Then there's a sudden blur from the right and the battle stops. A third figure is standing between the fighting pair.

"Just what do you think you are doing, Michaelis?" The man demands. "Fighting _another_ demon? Are you trying to get yourself another death sentence?"

Sebastian's eyes narrow as he sees a small smirk cross over Claude's face, who has started backing away. "Get out of my way, Father."

"No," the man hisses. "We are in the middle of one of our deadliest battles and you are out here attacking your own kind? What―"

"Sebastian, he's getting away!" I shout at him.

Claude pushes up his glasses before doing a back flip up onto a ledge and sprinting away.

My butler's eyes darken as he watches the other demon flee and he looks back at the man he had called 'Father'. "What is it you want, now that that spider has crawled away?"

"Lucifer wishes to speak to you. However, can you explain who _that_ is? Please do not tell me that he is the same boy I drug you away from that night," he demands earnestly.

Sebastian is standing in front of me protectively, as if he thinks the man is going to take me away. With his eyes glowing red, he speaks, "Father, this is indeed Ciel Phantomhive. Bo-chan, you've never formally met him, but his name is Tavarius."

"I see. I'd say it's nice to finally meet you, but under the circumstances I am extremely annoyed," I say calmly. "Sebastian, the demon has got away."

Sebastian bows. "My deepest apologies, my Lord. I had no way of knowing that we would be interrupted so abruptly."

"Yes, well we should get going." I turn around, calling out, "Alois― Alois?" My eyebrows furrow and I quickly search all the surrounding areas looking for him. The blond is gone. Where he should have been standing is only an empty space. Surely Alois can't have just disappeared? There's no way he could have been taken in that short amount of time we were distracted, could there? "Where is he?"

Sebastian looks wary as well, wondering where the boy could have gone so quickly that he can't even sense him near. "I'm not sure, though it is possible another demon could have taken him. I wonder, did he run away when he saw Claude?"

"Or maybe he ran _after_ Claude. If he back tracked he should be able to reach the cliff where Claude left," I point out, my blood boiling. How could that blond idiot do this?

"Michaelis, I can't believe you've found this child again. However, do not forget that Raisa―" Tavarius is cut off.

"Actually, Father," Sebastian smiles, "our dear Raisa has been dead for four minutes and…fifty seconds now, so I suppose our engagement is off. How unfortunate, hmm?"

Tavarius splutters, "_What?_ How? Who?"

"Let's just say an 'acquaintance' of mine removed that burden for me. Now if it's alright, I do believe I am going to see Lucifer." Sebastian scoops me up in his arms and leaves without getting a response.

I feel Tavarius' glare on me as I'm carried away. "You had a fiancée?" I demand, having been surprised by that tidbit of information Sebastian had kept from me.

Sebastian's eyes glance down at me quickly before he goes back to focusing on the direction he's running. "Yes, though it was an arranged agreement. I had neither desire nor intention to be bound to that demon so I am truthfully glad that Spears managed to get rid of her."

I hum in response to what he said and continue to grasp him as he runs. Barely able to notice with the speed we are going, I see that a lot of the fighting has stopped. Actually, the land now seems pretty barren. What has happened to the full scale war that was going on not too long ago?

As the gigantic building fills my view, Sebastian begins to slow down and places me on the ground once again. We walk carefully up to the main entrance, avoiding the gore covering the area. I try to ignore the terrible sent of blood and burning flesh that fills my nostrils.

Standing in the entrance room is an Asian woman, blood splattered across her kimono and her cheek. She glances up at us, her normal jade eyes red for the moment. Then she smiles. "Michaelis," she coos. "I am glad you are not dead."

"Aiko, have you seen Lucifer?" Sebastian asks politely.

"Hmm, he was here not too long ago…" Aiko puts a finger to her bottom lip in thought. "I am pretty sure he said he was going to run an errand before returning briefly."

"I see. Then I shall wait here for him to return."

It's silent for a couple of minutes but I can't help but feel the demon's look on me. Finally, I snap, "What is it?"

A Cheshire grin forms on her face as she saunters over. "Oh, nothing. I was just surprised that Michaelis' new pet is the one from the Prophecy, not to mention the same boy who almost got him killed a century ago. Quite gutsy. Raisa was not too pleased to learn of it."

Sebastian's head snaps to face her. "Raisa? How would she know? I thought only those of the Court know of his identity."

"Oh, I have no clue! These things just spread _so_ rapidly nowadays, do they not?" Aiko laughs heartily and waves her hand.

Sebastian and I stare at her obvious lie.

Aiko huffs as she notices our looks and speaks up, "Oh fine. But I did not tell her it was Ciel Phantomhive! Even I did not know that until today. After I saw you on the street, I went to go see Ana― who was at Faustus' again, mind you. I swear there must be something going on between them. Anyways, I was telling Ana all about how you had finally found a new pet after this past century and Faustus seemed very interested about who _you_ would contract. Somehow, Raisa found out and she sought me out later that day, wanting to know who the boy was. I did not know so we decided we would stop by your mansion to snoop― _ask_ around. Unfortunately, you were a little, ehm, _preoccupied_ with the boy that night so we decided to leave. Raisa was furious. Could not _believe_ you had rejected her constantly for a mere human boy."

Sebastian and I take a moment to digest the information, then my butler speaks, "How did she end up in the human realm and fighting a Shinigami then?"

Aiko shrugs again. "That I am not sure of. It is possible that whoever told her about the boy also informed her of the Reaper that helped you."

A troubled look crosses over Sebastian's face. There are yet more question that need be answered― and quickly.

"Anyway, I need be off. See you tomorrow Michaelis, Michaelis' pet," Aiko nods politely and I feel my hands clench. _I am no pet!_

Sebastian raises a hand to his lip. "I wonder, who could have told Raisa?"

"The same person who has been leaking information to Heaven?" I wonder.

"Perhaps, but I still do not know just who that is. I do not like the fact that Claude is back, though." Sebastian casts a glance towards me. "Nor the fact that Trancy disappeared at such a convenient time."

I tense.

"You do realize we can no longer trust him? With all the information he knows, he could definitely be informing another being. He is too suspicious to take lightly."

I nod my head. "Yes, I understand completely. Ah, there's Lucifer."

"My King, you called for me?" Sebastian inquires as the golden haired demon walks up.

Lucifer nods his head rapidly. "Yes. The war ends tomorrow."

"What?" Sebastian gets out after a stunned moment.

"We ended the fight in a stalemate today. I had their leader in my grasp, but I was also surrounded by too many of his followers and surely would have been killed if I had slaughtered him. It has been decided that tomorrow we will have a fair fight in a place where we are all equal: the Shinigami realm," Lucifer quickly explains. "Tomorrow will be the most important battle so I want you prepared. Also, the boy stays here. We don't need the Prophecy being realized, so lock him up in your mansion."

My eyes narrow. There is no way in Hell I'm being chained up like some animal, and if Sebastian thinks so, he can damn well be prepared to receive the most humiliating orders I can think of. Perhaps I should make him go to war wearing a frilly pink dress and a bonnet…

Sebastian catches the mischievous smirk crossing my face and regards me warily. "I understand, my King," Sebastian says. "I will be present here first thing tomorrow morning."

"Indeed," Lucifer murmurs. "Be well prepared, Michaelis. I do not intend to lose my best fighter this quickly."

Lucifer starts to depart as Sebastian bows.

"Sebastian, I want to return to the mansion," I say quietly.

Sebastian looks at me and nods before picking me up and carrying me out of the building again. I close my eyes and rest my head on his shoulder.

Mare is dead. Jackson is dead. Lucis is dead. Alois is missing suspiciously and I'll never see Elizabeth or my parents again. I could deal with about three of those things, maybe four, but _seven_ of the people I have come to know and care about have been taken away from me in the past couple of days.

Sure, I did not care strongly for Jackson and Lucis, but they _had_ taken care of me for fourteen years and that amount of time does not go by without forming some sort of connection. Even though it wasn't a great tragedy, their deaths have still affected me somehow.

Then there is Elizabeth. I will miss her greatly. She always tried to cheer me up no matter what and I have come to appreciate her for that, though she rarely succeeded.

Mother and Father are hard to let go of as well. Though I said goodbye to them yesterday, there's a small part of me that wants to go see them again, to be the young child one last moment. It's hard to say goodbye to your parents for good, especially when you have only just found them again.

Mare shakes me up the most. He died so suddenly I have barely come to terms with it. What that demon did to him…Absolutely repulsing. He had been the boy who I had played and fought with equally, who I had spent many years of my life sitting around and doing nothing of importance. I try to push away any regret I have for not spending more time with him and constantly getting into childish arguments with the boy.

The one that worries me the most, though, is Alois. I do not understand where he has gone. He may be dead or he might have followed after Claude. I have no clue and I can't help but feel slightly betrayed that he just ran off without telling me. Sure, I disappeared without telling him― but that wasn't my fault! How dare he go and leave like that, making me actually worry for him. The blond idiot isn't the smartest and he's going to get himself hurt and probably killed.

"Bo-chan, are you alright?" A deep voice wakes me out of my thoughts.

I open my bleary eyes and feel Sebastian putting me down on a bed. My eyes focus and I realize we're back in his mansion. When had that happened?

I look up to meet Sebastian's burning red orbs and whisper, "No." I pull my knees up and unconsciously wrap my arms around them. "They're all gone: Mother, Father, Lizzie, Mare, Alois."

Sebastian looks out of place, not knowing quite what to say to that. I really didn't expect him to comfort me, though. Laughing quietly, I start speaking out loud, "I probably look pathetic to you, don't I? Despairing over people after I thought I had come to terms with it already… Perhaps humans are just weak. I cannot wave off never seeing my family like you, Sebastian― though you wouldn't understand how I feel, of course."

A small sneer comes over his face as his stance becomes more dignified. "Demons can feel emotions too, _Bo-chan_. I just do not allow them to control me like your kind tends to do."

I narrow my eyes. "So you can understand how I feel? You can comprehend what it's like to never be able to see the ones you most care for again?"

Sebastian's own eyes narrow and he thinks. Finally, he says, "I was quite angered when Claude took your soul from me and when you were killed by that demon."

I let out a sharp laugh. "Yes, you must have been quite disappointed when your delicious meal was stolen from you! I can imagine the horror if I could never again taste a cake as well!"

Faster then my eyes could perceive, Sebastian is now bending low in front of me, his eyes deadly as he warns, "Do not mock me, human. Perhaps I haven't felt despair like you have but the closest thing I can think of is when _you_ were stolen from me."

I sit up tall and stare him defiantly in the eyes. "Address me properly, demon."

Something snaps in Sebastian and he grabs me roughly and presses his lips against mine.

I'm too stunned for a moment to do anything but I quickly pull back, pushing at his chest. "What the hell do you think your doing?" I snap at him.

His dangerous eyes meet mine and he says sharply, "I am _sick_ of your bratty attitude. I don't care what Lucifer says anymore, I've put up with you for long enough. I'm going to devour your soul right now."

I freeze immediately, my eyes widening as I back away from him slightly.

"What, frightened?" he says in a tone that makes me feel terribly weak.

Trying to regain some strength in my words, I sneer, "What are you going to do? Rip my heart out like Claude and devour it like some sort of wild beast?"

"What Claude did was messy and disgraceful, a method used to devour souls in which hardly mean anything to you. My original plan was to devour you slowly, tenderly, claiming and savoring everything you had to offer me." I shiver as Sebastian's words ghost across my lips as his mouth brushes against mine. "However," he continues, "maybe I should just rip out your soul directly. It is certainly the most painful and brutal as the soul still feels the hurt even after being disconnected from the body."

I press my lips against his. The demon's eyes widen in surprise and this time he pulls back. "Do it," I order him. "If not even you, there truly is nobody left. I do not see the point of elongating my life if I have no purpose, no reason for keeping me alive. It will probably serve you better then it could ever to me. Devour me, Sebastian."

Sebastian stares at me with unreadable eyes. I notice his hand shaking slightly.

"What have you done to me, Bo-chan?" he whispers and he pushes me across the bed with his own lengthy body covering mine. His breath burns across my throat as he licks it eagerly. "I do not think I've ever wanted to devour anyone as much as I do you, but at the same time I do not wish for you to be gone from me forever just yet."

"I thought―" gasp as his mouth licks and bites at my body, "that you had h-had enough of me? You had 'put up with me for― nm― long enough'?"

"You can act so childish sometimes, Bo-chan," Sebastian murmurs against my skin and his deft fingers work to undo my shirt, "but then you always say something that surprises me and makes me desire you even more."

"You lust for my body," I conclude, arching into his touch.

Sebastian looks up and meets my eyes. "I lust for _you_. As I said, I want you completely. Your body isn't just enough, though," he smirks and runs a hand over my trousers, "I do enjoy it very much. You make such _beautiful_ sounds, Bo-chan."

My face heats up at his words and I give him a half-glare.

"Perhaps I could not understand your earlier sentiments," Sebastian says, "but I can assure you I comprehend your own feelings of lust and desire."

"Do you now?" I say with a hard tone. "Then why don't you shut up and fulfill my wants. I am your master, after all."

Sebastian smirks, "Of course, my Lord."

As his lips trail over mine, I can't help but wonder if this is the last time I will hear him say that. Tomorrow, he either perishes in the war or he returns and devours my soul. Either way, everything ends.

* * *

><p>I had a terrible dream last night. It was back during the murder case at my manor, when Sebastian had 'died'. Except, this time it hadn't been an act. Sebastian had actually died and I'd been left alone. I tense slightly at the remembrance of that feeling.<p>

"Bo-chan, are you feeling alright?"

I jump at hearing his voice and open my eyes. So he had known I was awake. "Sebastian," I mutter as I raise my head from his chest. "Today is the day of the battle."

"Indeed, but we are already aware of that. What brings the need to speak it?" Sebastian asks, looking at me interestedly.

"Just…be careful," I grumble, feeling slightly embarrassed. I needed to say it though, after having that nightmare probably brought on from my fear of Sebastian dying as well. "I fully expect you to come back after this battle and eat my soul."

I feel Sebastian shift his position slightly. "What a curious Young Master I have," he murmurs. "Yesterday you had been quite angry with me, and yet today you seem almost worried for my well being."

"I wasn't angry, just a little frustrated," I mumble, still tired as I close my eyes again and listen to his heart beat. I wonder if he even needs the organ or if it's just a convenience.

Sebastian hums and tightens his hold on me, running a hand casually over my hair. "Perhaps one day I will be able to understand your kind's confusing emotions."

I snap, "Stop petting me; I'm not a cat!" and move my head away from his hand.

He chuckles quietly but there's a forlorn tone to it. "It's just as well, I suppose. I must be leaving, Bo-chan."

I lay there unmoving.

"Bo-chan―"

Letting out an annoyed noise, I roll off of him and bury myself deeper into the pillows and blankets. I'm aware of the pressure leaving the bed as Sebastian gets up.

Before he leaves, Sebastian says, "Remember, make sure you do not leave here under any circumstances."

I lift my head tiredly from the pillows and wave him off. When he exits the room, I let it fall back down and close my eyes again. However, I can't help but feel a sense of great unease as the demon leaves me.

I'm not sure how much time has passed when I awake again. Sitting up on the bed, I stretch and search around for something to eat. I notice a platter on the bedside table and peek under it. There's a nutritious looking meal under it and I purse my lips. I'm sort of in the mood for cake this morning, actually. Covering it up for a later time, I hop off of the bed and walk over to the opening out of the room, determined to find a sugar fix somewhere in Sebastian's mansion.

However, as soon as I step out of the room, a pale hand wraps around my arm. Shit. Maybe I should have listened to Sebastian's warning a little more seriously.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and I'd love to hear a review~ ^^ Heh, Ciel's in trouble again... Really now, haven't you learned to stay put? Anyways, I don't have much to say except I hope you liked it. Now I'm off to finish my short story due for tomorrow! DX Until next chapter~ We're on the day where it all ends ^^<strong>


	15. Madman, Means of an Adventure and End

**Hey guys! Wow, there's only one more chapter and an epilogue after this...Crap, I can't believe I've almost finished my first story...Anyways, my last chapter marked 100 000 words _and _100 reviews, which made me smile haha :) Thanks to everyone who has supported me through this story and I hope this chapter pleases you as well~ Soo yeah. Please enjoy~ :)**

**P.S. for those of you who don't know, 'shitsuji' is butler in japanese. I'd _hope_ you'd already know this but just in case ;)**

**Warnings*Mature language, sexual scenes, Yaoi, a couple OCs :( , gore, spoilers for whole manga/anime**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji**

* * *

><p>I'm pulled harshly against a solid chest, arms wrapping around me. A demented cackling fills my ears.<p>

"Hello, _Eaarll~_" a voice purrs in my ear.

My struggle intensifies until finally I break free of the man's grip. "Undertaker," I address with a strong voice, my eyes hard as I stare at him.

"Hehehe so _cold_, Earl~ Is that how you greet me after all these years?" Undertaker pretends to pout, poking his index fingers together.

I ignore him and demand, "What are you doing here?"

Suddenly, he disappears. "Ohh but I missed you so much, my tiny Earl~ It just hasn't been the same without you and your hilarious demon butler!" Undertaker cries out and clutches me from behind.

I jump, not having seen him move. "Let go of me!" I finally shout at him. "If you don't let go of me I'll―"

"You'll what?" Undertaker interrupts me with a deadly cold voice. "As it is, shitsuji-kun isn't here at the moment. If I really wanted to, I could dissect you right now. A deep cut right here," Undertaker trails a long finger nail down my chest, "and all would be revealed to me."

I shiver at his dangerous words. He's right, though. Sebastian isn't here and I'm no longer safe. I should have just stayed put in that damn room and Undertaker wouldn't have been able to apprehend me.

"If you kill me, he'll find you, Undertaker," I warn him. "You can be sure of that."

"Oh? And what if he isn't able to? Have you thought of that, Earl?"

Undertaker sounds vaguely amused and it's worrying. "What do you mean by that?" I inquire. "And release me this instant, this is getting ridiculous!"

Undertaker bursts out laughing and lets go of me in favor to clutch at his stomach. "Kyahaha! This is t-too funny! The Earl truly has no clue of what he has done!"

I feel my temper rise. "Undertaker! What are you speaking of?"

Undertaker pauses, takes one look at me, and then falls to the ground choking again.

"UNDERTAKER!" I roar and restrain the urge to stomp on him like the annoying bug he is.

"Hehe~" Undertaker looks up from his position on the floor, drool dripping down his chin. "I truly have missed you, Earl. Always such a funny child~"

I place a hand on my forehead and take a couple steadying breaths. "I will ask again, you drooling fool, _just what are you talking about_?"

"Hmm~" Undertaker takes a moment to think, placing a long finger on his chin from his place on the ground. "Usually it'd cost you, but since you gave me such a laugh, I'm willing to tell you this time. You've been a very naughty boy, Earl~"

My eyebrow ticks. "Undertaker, if you do not tell me immediately what you are talking about, I am leaving."

The mortician waves a finger. "You have altered too many events that weren't meant to be changed, my boy. Because of you, the path of the future has taken on a different, bleaker path. As I said: bad boy, young Earl!"

"H-how do you know of this?" I demand, a shaky feeling passing over me. "What do you mean that I have changed the future?"

"Hm, you're smarter than this. I'll answer some of your questions, but you must not rely on others your whole life!" Undertaker says sternly, still from his position lying on the floor. "I have a question for you: How did you know to save the boy, Mare? Or prevent Grell Sutcliff from falling to his death?"

My apprehension grows. "How…?" I wonder quietly. Then it strikes me. "You too. You have this ability as well, don't you?"

"Hehe, very good, Earl. Haven't you always wondered how I knew so much? With much practice, one day you too will be able to harness your ability as well," Undertaker explains. "Believe me, it is an incredible thing to be able to foresee the future. The world in the palm of your hand, events ready to be manipulated by your will. However, there are always consequences for your actions, Earl. This will be your first lesson."

I frown. "Well, obviously there are consequences for changing events; the events _change_ and have a different outcome."

"Yes, and usually changing one, tiny part of the future isn't always a big deal. However, you have been altering many events without even realizing it, and I don't think you'll be ready to accept the end results of this event."

"What do you mean?" I question cautiously. "And would you at least sit up, for God's sake. Looking down at your disagreeable face is straining my neck."

Undertaker sighs and sits up from his position on the ground, and it frustrates me to no ends that I barely have to look down to meet his eyes. "Tell me, are you confident that shitsuji-kun will return after this battle?"

"Are you saying Sebastian is going to die?" I hiss at him.

"What will happen after?" Undertaker murmurs to himself. Then he pauses and reaches into his jacket, pulling something out. "Cookie, Earl?"

I slap his hand away. "Answer me, damn it!"

"I am saying that by preventing another's death, you have now brought it upon someone else. One for one~" Undertaker says calmly. "However, there _is_ a way you can save him."

Before I ask him how, there's one thing that's bothering me. "Undertaker, why are you telling me this?" I ask with narrowed eyes.

Undertaker chuckles. "So you _can_ be smart. There's something in it for me as well, but I won't tell you~ Let's just say, the end results will be both in our favor."

"…Alright. If I can do something to help Sebastian, what is it?" I demand.

"I cannot tell you specifically or else it might alter the future again, but you will need this," Undertaker says while reaching into his jacket and pulling out a long sword. "Catch~"

My eyes widen as I bounce back from the blade. "What kind of idiot throws and unsheathed sword at another?" I yell at him furiously.

"Hmm? What was that?" Undertaker asks, looking back at me. "Sorry, I was too busy enjoying these delicious cookies."

"I _said__―__"_

CRUNCH.

"Damn it all! I am done with this! Good day, Undertaker!" I shout out as I walk past him down the hall, deciding to continue my previous search for cake.

"If you continue to waste time searching for pastries, it will have been too late."

His words stop me dead.

Undertaker continues. "The battle has already been raging for a while now and if you want to be able to do anything, we must leave now. Earl, are you coming?"

I turn around and with a strong voice, accept his offer. "Fine. Take me to the Shinigami realm, Undertaker."

Undertaker giggles and does a mock bow. "_Yes, my Lord_."

I wonder how Sebastian would react to seeing the mortician pretending to be my butler. Reaching down, I pick up the sword and apperceive my reflection on its deadly blade. I wonder, will I have to kill someone again?

Undertaker easily opens a pathway to the realm with his scythe. "Come, my dear Earl. It's time to meet destiny so we can spit in its face, huhuhu~ _That_ is the power we have."

"So _that's_ what my ability is," I say sarcastically under my breath. "Thank you for clearing that up."

"No problem~ Anything for the Young Master," Undertaker purrs and picks me up like Sebastian usually does.

"Put me down!" I shout, hitting his shoulder as he walks through the white light. "Sebastian is going to kill you when he sees you, and I'm going to laugh while he rips that grin right off of your face!"

"How mean, Earl~ I never get any fun when shitsuji-kun is around so I have to take what I get," Undertaker explains with a big smile. I don't get to respond before Undertaker starts jumping from the roofs of the building until he has reached a desolated area of dead mountains. He sets me down on one of the smaller ones and looking down below, I can see the battles.

Everywhere, there are things dueling. Angels with pure white wings, demons with razor sharp claw and Shinigami with deadly tools. There are cries of pain and the howl of fire. Once again, blood covers the ground in a crimson sheet. However, my eyes catch on one form.

In the midst of a group of Shinigami is Sebastian, though at the same time it's almost hard to believe it _is_ him. I've never seen his true form before. The day I met him, only his voice I heard, his true form shrouded in darkness until we had formed our contract. Then he had appeared looking as the butler he always has. Now though, he appears much more like the seductive demons I have seen roaming Hell recently, what with his pointed high heels and leather. Even from up here I can see his red eyes wide with sadistic pleasure as he rips apart the Reapers and occasional Angel and the open mouthed smile as more blood splashes over him.

Right now, Sebastian is a true demon. Right now, he is no longer the being I've know, but the part of him that he compresses whenever I'm in his presence.

"Undertaker―" however, when I turn around, he's no longer there. I look around to see if he has just wandered off to the side but it seems he has actually left.

I frown slightly, looking back down to where Sebastian is. I wonder if I should go down there. It doesn't look too safe, but then again, I probably won't be too safe up here alone either. Damn that Undertaker, what does he want me to do?

Clutching the sword tightly, I carefully slide my way down the hill, making sure not to lose my footing and impale myself. Heh, imagine how pissed Sebastian would be if I ended up doing that. I push that thought out of my head as I tread down carefully. Looking over, I see that Sebastian has taken care of most of that mob that had been attacking him. As I try to ignore the dreadful mess he has created of those people, I descend the last stretch of the hill.

Sebastian glances over in my general direction and I see him pause. Then his eyes focus on my form and he freezes completely, the red orbs growing wide. "…Bo-chan?"

"Sebastian," I call out, "turn around, idiot."

He blinks at my words and turns around, barely catching the weapon a final Shinigami had sliced at him with. Quicker than possible, he has ripped the weapon out of its arms and sliced its body in two. Then Sebastian faces me again.

"Really, letting your guard down so easy. It's a good thing I came to check up on you," I say sarcastically as I walk over to the demon.

Sebastian bristles. "Pardon me for being a little surprised to see you in this realm, much less walking around casually in the middle of a war_. What are you doing here, Bo-chan?_ I thought I specifically told you to stay put in that room. And _how _are you even here?"

It's my turned to be annoyed. "Yes, well, I didn't realize you _specifically_ meant that room. Did you realize that Undertaker has been running amuck in your mansion, Sebastian? As soon as I walked out the door, he was there to greet me."

"Undertaker?" Sebastian wonders incredulously. "So he's the one who brought you here?"

"Yes, he told me that I should come. Apparently, if I didn't, you were going to be killed," I tell him shortly.

Sebastian looks confused. "You came because you thought I was going to die today? Because a madman like Undertaker told you?"

"Undertaker has clairvoyance as well, that's why I believed him. As well, I've had a bad feeling about this since that nightmare this morning," I mutter.

Sebastian casts another glance around. "Young Master, you can't be here. We are in the middle of a war and if any of the demons recognize you, they will try to kill you as well to prevent the prophecy."

"Well it's too late for that. I had to make sure…" I trail off.

/_"…sure about this?" a worried voice asks._

_Alois nods his head. "Yes." Raising a sword, Alois stares into a pair of gold eyes. "Claude, I am going to kill you."_

"_You are a fool, Alois Trancy," Claude states, pushing up his glasses. "Even with restrictions, there is no way a human could defeat a demon."_

_Alois answers by approaching cautiously. /_

"Bo-chan, you've spaced out," Sebastian mutters, his head tilted slightly.

"Alois is here," I say. "He's fighting Claude. Sebastian, I want to find him."

Sebastian's eyes narrow. "I should be fighting the war right now, Bo-chan, not running around playing chaperon."

"Are you disobeying me?"

"No, my Lord. It's just if Lucifer falls, so do the rest of us." Sebastian picks me up and carries me in a direction to the north-east. "The survival of Alois Trancy, on the other hand, does not concern me so."

"It's not just that," I say. "Does this situation not seem odd to you?"

"What do you mean?" Sebastian questions.

"I mean why is Alois Trancy here? How has he been getting around? Alois indeed has had a plot all along," I mutter resignedly. "I can no longer believe the fact that he has innocently been drug along this far. There's something else I've been thinking of, as well." Before Sebastian can say something, I tell him something that makes him frown.

"What a…curious idea, Bo-chan. In fact, it is worthy of looking into; however, it is almost too late to be of any importance," Sebastian points out.

"Still, I want to know."

Sebastian stops by a cliff. "The spider is down below, and Trancy, I assume."

He lets me down and I walk to the edge. Down below is indeed Alois Trancy, Claude Faustus and Hannah Annafellows.

Hannah is standing to the side, looking solemn with her hands held together in front of her lap. Every once in a while her eyes will flicker red and she hisses something at Claude.

Alois and Claude are fighting, Alois' white sword flashing and Claude using gold knives to slash at him. I'm surprised to see Alois fighting rather well against the demon. In fact, it reminds me of the time Sebastian and Agni had fought those times. Somehow, the Indian man had managed to hold his own against my demonic butler.

"Hannah must have set restrictions for Claude," Sebastian explains quietly, seemingly having been thinking the same as me. "He's not doing anything that isn't physically impossible for a human, though he still has a great advantage. I'm surprised Trancy has lasted this long. In his previous life, even you managed to defeat him."

"What do you mean by 'you'?" I grumble but continue on. "Alois has trained in martial arts all his life. I've never met a person who's been able to defeat him― recently, at least."

It's true though. Even now Alois is moving incredibly fast, dodging knives and countering with his sword. However, he's got shallow cuts on him and his breathing is slightly labored. Occasionally, he'll slip up and a knife will bury deeper into him. Alois keeps fighting though and I've never seen look so determined.

Looking to the side, I notice a pathway carved down the side of the cliff to reach the lower platform. I briskly walk over to it and start descending, feeling Sebastian's look on my back as I leave.

I must say I'm in slight awe when ever Alois _does_ manage to inflict a wound of Claude, however miniscule it is. If Sebastian ever wanted to, he could crush me in a second and I wouldn't be able to do anything about it. To see the boy able to battle against the demon is very impressive.

As I'm nearing the bottom though, Alois isn't fast enough and receives a slice to his cheek. He backs up in reaction and Claude follows easily, slapping him with enough force to make Alois stumble backwards a few more steps. Alois looks up at him, eyes tearful from the physical pain and maybe something else.

Without thinking of the consequences, I drag my hand against the blade of my own sword, letting the blood drip down.

"Bo-chan!" Sebastian snaps, his red eyes furious as he realizes just what I did.

I'd looked up automatically when Sebastian had said that and when I turned back to look at Alois, I notice Claude has gone perfectly still.

"That blood. Even till today, I have never smelt something quite so delicious," Claude whispers, his head turning to face mine with narrowed gold eye, "Ciel Phantomhive."

I tense but glare fiercely at the demon. Behind him, I see Alois is looking at me with some sort of surprise but hurt and frustration as well. Then, Claude turns back to him and gives a hard kick to his solar plexus. Not expecting it, Alois drops to the ground and chokes, the breath having been knocked from him.

"I have no intention of fighting with you anymore," Claude mutters with distaste before he's suddenly in front of me. His finger touches at my jaw and I stand stock still, however, wondering why Sebastian isn't stopping him. Glancing to the side, I understand why. He and Hannah have engaged in some sort of fight as well, though not a deadly one. Hannah doesn't seem to want to let him down here and Sebastian is quite opposed to that idea.

Looking back at the demon in front of me, my grip tightens on my sword. I try backing away but find I can't go far before my back hits the wall.

"This time, you will be mine. I do not know what happened a hundred years ago, but I _will_ obtain your soul this time," Claude says dangerously.

I narrow my eyes. "My soul belongs to Sebastian. You may not have it, demon. Now stay back."

"Who are you to say what I can and can not have?" Claude says while looking at the sword interestedly.

"I do," Alois hisses. "You can't have him, Claude."

Claude whips around to see Alois standing behind him but isn't quick enough to stop the blade from piercing him. The demon stares down in disbelief at the sword sticking out of him, his hands twitching at it but refusing to touch it.

"This sword…How have you, Alois Trancy, received one from the Angels?" Claude murmurs, a frown on his face.

"What does it matter, Claude? It's over now; even you cannot live after having your heart pierced by one of these," Alois whispers, looking away.

Sebastian and Hannah have stopped struggling after witnessing the scene below.

A shaken sob escapes Alois' lips as he looks back up at Claude. "Why? Why am I never good enough, Claude? Even now, as soon as Ciel showed up, you completely dismissed me. You could have killed me, Claude, but you couldn't even be bothered to do that, could you? You would've won anyway and Hannah would have followed her end of the bargain. You could have had everything."

By now, there's blood dripping past the demon's lips. "You compare nothing to that boy's soul, and yet…to have made a ripple in the monotonous life of a demon, perhaps your soul would have been worth devouring..."

Alois' eyes widen and he looks up as Claude slides down the wall. The blond quickly pulls out the sword, causing a small noise to escape Claude's mouth. Then Alois straddles his hips, tears streaming over his cheeks.

"I loved you, Claude," he cries as he takes his face in his hands. "All I w-wanted was for you to recognize me. Even now, after all that has happened, a part of me still loves you. It hurts, seeing you like this."

"It burns," Claude agrees. "Midnight blue to gold, passion to insincerity, lies to reality, that is…'s but…ler."

Alois closes his eyes, silent sobs shaking him. After a couple of moments, he opens them again and presses a gentle kiss to the side of the demon's mouth. "Goodbye, Claude."

Carefully, Alois gets up and grabs his sword.

"Danna-sama!" Hannah gasps and rushes down to Alois. "Isn't this great? Claude finally recognized you!"

A brilliant smile lights the boy's face, "Yes!" but it soon becomes sullen. "However, it took him dying to realize. Hannah, take care of his body."

"Of course, Danna-sama." Hannah bows and hops over to the fallen demon, easily picking him up. Then she disappears into the landscape.

Alois stands quietly on the dead ground. "It's finally almost over," he whispers to himself.

"Alois," I call out to him, "what is almost over? What do you know?"

"Ciel?" Alois murmurs the name as if it were some foreign word. Then a small laugh escapes his lips. "Yes, it's almost over. I'm so sorry, Ciel."

I frown and my pace quickens. Grabbing his arms, I force him to look at me. "Sorry for what, Alois? What exactly have you and that demon done?"

Alois giggles. "It's a secret~" he purrs as he lifts a finger to his lips to indicate silence. "But I haven't been as ignorant to this situation as everyone believes. You'll see soon enough, though."

I was about to answer when a sudden terrible coldness fills me. Whipping around, I see a pair of murderous eyes looking at me. Just a few feet away, the Ruler of Hell, Satan himself, is glaring at me.

"Michaelis, would you care to explain this to me? _I thought I told thee to lock him up back in Hell,_" Lucifer hisses.

"My King, I assure you I left him back at my manner. However, the Undertaker has―" Sebastian is cut off.

"The Undertaker?" Satan bellows. "That is it! The boy has been conspiring with that Reaper this entire time! We can no longer allow him to breathe; prepare yourself, mortal, for your soul shall burn in an eternal Hell for crossing me!"

Sebastian's eyes narrow and a short, "No!" escapes his lips.

However, Alois was faster than both demons, having been standing right beside me. The blond raises his already bloodied sword and blocks the pure black one Satan has drawn.

"You stupid demons just don't get it, do you? I said _no one_ can have Ciel. Not even Lucifer," Alois says in an annoyed tone, pushing against the sword.

Lucifer pauses. "Who is this? Yet again a pitiful mortal boy? No matter, I have no use of thee. Move aside or a painful death is all that awaits."

Alois looks him straight in the eye, and with a stuck up tone, says, "No."

Lucifer's eyes darken and he easily pushes Alois' sword away with his own. By now, Sebastian has pulled me away from Lucifer's proximity while he was distracted with Alois. As Lucifer is about to continue, a form swoops in and grabs the target.

Alois looks confused, glancing up to see who it is.

"Anafeloz, what is the meaning of this?" Lucifer demands as the female holds his prey protectively.

"This human belongs to me, you can't have him," Hannah glares.

Lucifer's eyes narrow. "Are you defying me?"

Hannah doesn't respond. The tension between everyone grows to enormous proportions. Sebastian is standing slightly in front of me, ready to shield me if Lucifer makes a sudden move. I'm staring defiantly at the king, trying to calculate all the possible answers to this situation. Hannah is still holding Alois close to her. Nobody makes a move.

Then an insane laughter fills the void. "Kyahahaha! I-I'm sorry, but this is all too funny~ I never thought it would turn out this well. Please, I'm sorry for disrupting. Continue, continue~"

I'm the first to speak. "Undertaker, is this all your doing? Some sort of twisted humor?"

Undertaker sighs. "You really are no fun; it's always business with you. I assure you, though, that I am not the one pulling the strings here. I'm merely here to have a little fun~" With that, Undertaker summons his Death Scythe and jumps down to the rest of us, swinging the weapon in a grand sweep.

Everyone disperses at the swipe, not sure who the intended attack is for. Undertaker follows it up with a vertical slice, at Hannah this time. She frowns and jumps to the side closer to Sebastian and myself, separating from Alois so she is not impaled by the weapon. The madman follows and swings the scythe again.

"Undertaker, who are you after?" Sebastian demands as he backs away from the scythe that could have been meant for him, Hannah or me.

"Hehehe that's a secret~" Undertaker says jovially, reminding me of what Alois had said earlier.

Satan raises his sword. "You brought the child from the Prophecy here to destroy me; I cannot allow you to leave without being punished."

"Eh? Oh Earl, you never told me you're from the Prophecy! Congratulations~" Undertaker says as if he's proud before blocking Lucifer's sword with his own blade. "Hehehe! Lucifer, you never seize to amuse me~"

"My King," Sebastian says quickly, going over to help.

"Hmm?" Undertaker hums as black claws swipe at where his head was a moment ago. The trio move rapidly, weapons slashing and somehow Hannah gets drug into the brawl as well.

I can't even comprehend how Undertaker is managing to dodge all three of the demons attacks. Every time they move to hit, it's like he already knows what they're going to do and has created the perfect counter. My eyes catch on a form, though, and my blood goes cold. Alois has taken up his sword again and is inching behind Satan's form, raising the weapon to stab him.

My eyes widen. "Alois!" I rush in front of the unsuspecting demon and raise my own blade to block Alois'.

"Ciel? What are you doing?" Alois shouts furiously, pushing against my blade.

"I could ask you the same thing, you bastard. Do you _want_ the demons to lose this war?" I snap at him, still standing guard.

Vaguely, I hear Sebastian utter in shock, "Bo-chan…"

Alois' eyes darken and he hooks his sword under my handle, twisting it and causing my weapon to fly out of my hands, very much to my surprise. "And what if I do? All their kind deserves to perish," he mutters. "They're rotten to the core, despicable, to try and take the souls of the innocent."

"What about Claude?" I demand, using the demon he cares about as an example and hoping Alois will see sense.

Alois pauses. "He's dead, is he not? Though I love him, I hate him with all my being. It's _his_ fault, after all, that this is even happening. If he hadn't lied, hadn't killed me that night then I wouldn't of…" he trails off, seemingly getting lost in his own thoughts.

Suddenly, Undertaker is behind him and swings his Scythe into Alois' back. The blond's eyes widen and he immediately coughs up a large amount of blood, his sword dropping from his hands.

"My apologies, Earl Trancy, but you were going to ruin everything," Undertaker says simply before pulling the blade out of the boy.

Once again, everything is silent for a moment as Alois falls to the ground before a horrified cry fills the air, "_Danna-sama!_" Hannah rushes over to Alois' side and pulls the boy's head onto her lap.

"Hannah?" Alois murmurs, looking up at her with fear lacing his eyes. "Am I dying again?" He doesn't give her time to answer before he starts speaking, "I'm sorry…I couldn't do it after all. Please forgive me, Hannah."

"Danna-same, it is my fault for not protecting you. Do not blame yourself, blame me, please," Hannah says sadly, wiping the blood off of his face. "It is alright, do not be afraid. Luka and Claude, they are waiting for you."

"Will you join us after you have completed my wish, Hannah?" Alois asks timidly.

"Of course, Danna-sama," Hannah smiles gently.

Alois closes his eyes with a bright smile on his face. "Everyone, everything, will be happy," he whispers. Then, his eyes open again and he looks over toward me with pained eyes. "Ciel… I loved you, as well. I wish we could have been friends for a little longer, back before this all started. W-we could have gone shopping at _Sutcliff_ and you could've mocked me again for buying s-short shorts. We could have h-hosted another party, drank strawberry daiquiris all night long and made more ridiculous theories about aliens. God, do I miss that. Please, don't hate me, Ciel," Alois says while trying to keep his voice steady, but by now tears are once again streaming down his face and he has a small, resigned smile on his face.

I frown. "Alois…" I whisper as a forlorn feeling comes over me. Seeing Alois dying, its worst than everything else I've seen in this terrible adventure. For years, Alois has been a constant in my life. I've become so accustomed to his flamboyant attitude that a life without ever seeing him again doesn't seem real. I, too, miss greatly the times where everything was simple. Those false moments of happiness, unaware of the horrors that plagued my past and future. Yes, I wish I could have enjoyed those moments a little longer.

Then Hannah leans down and presses her lips against his gently. When she pulls back, Alois isn't moving.

My breath catches at the sight of him. He's dead. Never again will he wink flirtatiously, or strike dramatic poses or dance around flamboyantly in his obscene clothes. I can feel my eyes sadden, though there is nothing I can do. Alois is dead. Now the only thing left is to find out why.

"Undertaker, explain to me just why you have killed Alois," I say dangerously, my eyes murderous. Alright, so maybe I'm not quite in acceptance with his death as I thought.

"I would have thought you'd have figured it out by now, Earl," Undertaker says easily. "If I had not killed the boy, then my plan wouldn't have been realized and a great source of my amusement would have been taken away from me~"

My eyes narrow. "You called Satan amusing― is that what you mean? Alois would have killed the Devil?"

Undertaker taps his nose, a grin crossing over his face.

"What I'm curious about, though," Sebastian speaks, "is Hannah's involvement in all of this. I have not seen her until recently and yet she seems to have a great involvement in this situation."

Hannah looks up, her eyes glowing before they fade back to their natural color. "You are correct, Michaelis. I have been involved in this situation since the beginning, though none of you suspected anything."

"I was wondering how Alois had been getting through the realms. At first I thought he might have found Claude," I admit.

Lucifer's eyes narrow. "What do you mean, Anafeloz?"

I roll my eyes at the King. "Obviously, she's been the one leaking information. How simple it must have been, being part of the Court she had access to all the information she could ever need. It would be all too simple for her to give Heaven a huge advantage."

Lucifer looks at me, though for once it isn't like he wishes to painfully rip me apart limb form limb and bask in my agony. It seems the Ruler of Hell and I are making progress.

"It doesn't matter if I tell you now. With Danna-sama gone, I have once again become bored of life. If you will listen, I will explain some things," Hannah says in a clear voice, running a hand through Alois' hair. "Sebastian Michaelis, Ciel Phantomhive, you remember the day when Alois Trancy was originally killed by Claude. That was the day when my hatred for our kind started. You see, Danna-sama's contract with Claude was all based on a lie. He wanted revenge against the one who he thought killed his little brother, Sebastian Michaelis."

Sebastian frowns. "I remember no such event ever taking place."

Hannah nods. "It is because Claude lied to him. _I_ was the one who devoured Luka Macken's soul. However, I had fallen in love with the boy. When I devoured him, part of his soul lived on inside of me and I also developed a strong love for Alois Trancy based off of his little brother's dedication. When Danna-sama was killed, I was ready to do anything to have his soul returned to me. I asked the Angels who judged the souls to allow him to be reincarnated― I would wait an eternity if I had to― and they agreed on the sole condition that I must pass information on to them. It was no big decision for me; I had already had enough of my life.

"Then one day they said the one from the Prophecy had been reincarnated. As you were, I too was searching for the mortal who could be used to bring the downfall of Hell. While visiting Claude, our dear Aiko showed up to share the latest gossip that Michaelis had taken up a new pet. I was very interested in just who _you_ had found. What you might not know is I also kept tabs on the Shinigami realm. You became quite the talk, Michaelis, saying how you broke into the Shinigami Library and stole some Cinematic Records. So, I sent a letter to a Reaper by the name Josh Zachary telling him I had information on your whereabouts. In return, he informed me that one of the boys who had been with you was by the name Ciel Phantomhive. You must imagine my surprise that the boy Aiko had seen you with had been your previous contract. Immediately, I told the Angels that the boy was thought to have been the reincarnation from the Prophecy of Retribution. That is why you were sent to investigate that town with bizarre Angel activity because I told them you would end up going there, most likely with the boy in tow. They informed me they succeeded.

"However, there was still the last boy Zachary mentioned; a blond child who had been there. When I heard that, I went and questioned if Alois Trancy's soul had been reincarnated yet. They informed me it had and its current whereabouts. I travelled to Grell Sutcliff's mansion and found Danna-sama residing there. He was reluctant to see me at first, but I soon convinced him to stay with me when I explained what Claude had done and where Ciel Phantomhive was. We made a deal. Danna-sama would help me bring down Hell and I would give him the chance to face Claude one more time."

"I was never the one from the Prophecy," I say as my suspicions are realized. "I've never wanted to bring down Hell or murder Satan― far from it― so I always thought it odd that everyone suspected it was me. They never thought of Alois Trancy, who too had been reincarnated fifteen years ago. Though Hannah, you must have realized it; why did you not inform the Angels?"

"Because I thought Michaelis would suffer more if they took you away. That was Danna-sama's original plan all those years ago, _that's_ why he was so determined to have you Ciel Phantomhive; so that the demon would suffer much like Danna-sama has because of him," Hannah explains. "Then there was Raisa, Michaelis' supposed fiancée. I informed her of what had happened recently, how you had gone to the Shinigami Realm with a Reaper named Grell Sutcliff and went through all the trouble to retrieve the memories of some young boy. She was not too pleased, though of course she would never go against you. So, she went after the next best thing; the Shinigami who had helped you. I had Danna-sama spy on Grell Sutcliff and, consequently, William T. Spears while we waited for Raisa to show up. It worked splendidly. That demon completely lost herself to emotions when she learnt of how close you are to Ciel Phantomhive and actually attacked a Reaper. That little bit of information, along with Michaelis' goings to their Realm, was enough to make them side with Heaven against you. Though it was supposed to be Sutcliff who fought her, she died anyway.

"The next part of the plan was to get Danna-sama back to Hell. I was busy making everyone suspicious of Ciel Phantomhive in the meeting we had that morning, so Danna-sama used Sutcliff to return to Hell. I did not expect him to find Claude there, but he returned with me while Michaelis was talking to Tavarius. You saw what happened today, so there is no need to explain why Danna-sama felt the need to see Claude one last time."

"Bo-chan, once again your suspicions were correct," Sebastian shakes his head, a small smirk playing on his face. "I was surprised when you had mentioned the possibility to me about Alois being the one from the Prophecy. You have been thinking something along the lines of this for a while now, haven't you?"

"Since I saw Hannah at the meeting," I agree. "However, I'd never thought of how much she's really had to do with this. It seemed merely a possibility since she seemed to know so much about recent events."

Hannah smiles. "Danna-sama thought very highly of you, Ciel Phantomhive. I now understand why." Carefully, she sets Alois down and gets up, bowing her head. "I would like to thank you for making Danna-sama happy, if only for that little while."

I nod my head to her words and walk over to Alois' form, Hannah backing away to give me space. The blond looks peaceful. I wonder if he is content now, his soul resting in Hannah with his younger brother.

Then a cackling fills the air.

I whip around to find Hannah shoving me by the throat to a wall.

"Young Master!" Sebastian shouts out, his eyes panicked. "_Undertaker, move!_"

I look up with wide eyes at the female demon who is smiling down at me and finally notice my sword clutched in her hand. Then she shoves the dark blade into my chest.

"I'm sorry but Danna-sama's last wish was that no one could have your soul, Ciel Phantomhive," Hannah murmurs as my mind goes hazy.

I'm not aware of what happens next. My chest hurts really badly though, as if it's on fire. The last thing I remember before passing out is the psychotic laughter of a madman.

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><p><strong>Gah! So how was it? I hope you liked this chapter and please leave a review for me if you have time :) Crap, Hannah had a long speech DX We've basically wrapped up everything now, so there's <em>one~ more~ chapter~ left~!<em> I really do hope you've enjoyed it so far and have managed to stick through this whole story- I realize some chapters can be quite long... Until next time~**

**P.S. ***SPOILER sort of, for new chapter***The new Kuroshitsuji chapter was great! It really made me think of how Sebastian's and Ciel's relationship has developped. Hehe and I love that page where Sebastian loses control and grabs Ciel's face (super cute~) Haha it reminded me of my last chapter where Sebastian sort of snapped- I can now say it is IC ;)**


	16. Finale, Realizing of Servant and Master

**Wow. Last chapter. I'm sort of stunned, but also excited, but it also feels almost sad to be finished. I suppose a lot of you already know this already though, if you've written a story ^^ Anyway, thanks for the reviews and following me along this story! It's been an _amazing_ experience~ I hope to see you again, whether its reading your fics or you guys end up reading my next one as well (which won't be out for a little while. I need to take a little break and focus on school for a couple months -_-) ! There's a small part concerning Grell and William, because we need an ending for their story too! Hopefully you guys enjoy the conclusion of _Memories of Cake and Death_! I know I said I was going to write an epilogue, and I think I probably will still do it. I would love to hear your thoughts on the story so please review if you've enjoyed it~!**

**For the last time: I hope you enjoy this final chapter! :)**

**Warnings*Mature language, sexual scenes, Yaoi, a couple OCs :( , gore, spoilers for whole manga/anime**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroshitsuji**

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><p><em>~3rd Person POV~<em>

Only the faint breeze is heard as everyone stands there, stunned for the most part. Then Undertaker's insane cackling is heard and Sebastian uses this moment to push past him.

"Hannah, what have you done?" the demon demands furiously, his eyes glowing a pure red.

Hannah pulls back with a small smile tainting her crimson lips. "I was just following Danna-sama's wishes. Perhaps now you will finally suffer, demon. Suffer for all the pain that has been caused by you and your kind."

Then Hannah pulls the sword out of the young boy. Ciel collapses, his eyes shutting.

"Bo-chan!" Sebastian pushes past the female demon and catches the child in his arms. "Bo-chan… You do realize you are a demon as well, Hannah?"

Hannah nods her head but says, "I won't be for much longer. Now that I have completed Danna-sama's wish, I will be joining him."

"You did not take his soul?" Sebastian breathes in confusion as he traces his hand over the wound. He can still feel the faint heart beat there. "Then why…"

Undertaker chortles and when Sebastian looks up, he notices Hannah has disappeared.

"Hehe did you not hear what she said, _shitsuji-_kun?" Undertaker dances around and puts on a female tone. "_Danna-sama's last wish was that _no one _could have Ciel Phantomhive's soul_."

A startled look passes over the demon's face. Rapidly, he reaches for the sword Hannah had dropped. "No way…A demon sword. How did Bo-chan come in possession of this?" Sebastian's mind thinks quickly. This means… "_Undertaker, you bastard_. Why would you give him this?"

Undertaker smiles and pushes his hair back from his face, revealing his vibrant green eyes. "Simple. You two have been such a great source of amusement over the years I just couldn't _bare_ to part again~ So, I gave the boy the sword and told him you were going to die if he didn't interfere. How was he supposed to know it was a demon sword, much less what it can do on a mortal?"

Lucifer interjects, "Demon swords are used to take the power of the creature, turning it basically mortal. That is why it's as fatal as any other sword to a human. However, when it pierces a mortal it's possible to transfer the life taken from the demons it has slayed, thus creating a new one. It's a rare method which rarely works unless many demons have been slaughtered using it and the soul is strong enough to survive the process."

"Then my Bo-chan…" Sebastian's shoulders shake slightly as a deep anger fills him. "Hannah, you better have run _far_ because if I ever sense you again, _I will show you a fate worse than Hell_."

The words echo through the valley and a dark aura fills the area.

"Hehehe. Well, this certainly has been interesting, shitsuji-kun, Earl~ You _will_ be seeing me again. Tell the Earl I said 'one for one'." With that, Undertaker swipes the demon sword back and opens another portal. Then the silver haired man disappears and leaves the three alone.

Sebastian looks down at the blood covered boy and watches the steady rise and fall of his chest. "It seems you indeed have finally won, Bo-chan. With eternal life, you have bound me to eternal servitude. I wonder, what will you do when you awaken?" he speaks softly, though there is a bitter tone to his voice.

"Michaelis," Lucifer starts.

Sebastian blinks and looks up. "My King?"

"Though it may not be possible for you to devour his soul, that in no way means you must continue to serve the boy," Lucifer points out. "You can―"

"I promised I would serve my Young Master until the day I devoured his soul," Sebastian states in a bland tone. "I agreed to his order, to be his butler until that day. Now, I am sworn by our contract."

Lucifer frowns and looks as if he is about to speak but Sebastian continues.

"Please excuse me, My King, but if I do not prepare my Bo-chan his morning tea, he will be very grumpy," Sebastian says in an emotionless voice as he picks up his Young Master.

Lucifer's eyes narrow as he watches the demon wander off sullenly in a direction. Who does he think he is? That damn boy, he was going to cost him his best weapon. Then the elder demon looks away. With the child from the prophecy dead and the other human taken care of, there was nothing to fear anymore. Now he could go full out and plunge this realm into a mass of chaos and pain. With demonic eyes, the Demon King disappears towards the battle, a sadistic smirk crossing his face.

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><p><em>~A few days later in the Shinigami Realm…~<em>

William T. Spears walks down the silent halls of the work building. His wounds have completed healed by now and everything is almost back to normal. Dresdner had allowed Spears to return to his original position. William suspects it's only because with all the casualties of the war, the already over worked Shinigami would be buried in even _more_ paperwork.

Speaking of the war, it seems it ended with no winner; just many deaths. When Heaven learnt that the boy from the Prophecy of Retribution had been killed, they started backing out. It made William want to sneer at the cowards. As much as he despised the demons, at least they didn't run away from the battle with their tales between their legs. Some may say the Demons won this one, but in all reality, Heaven is just as powerful as it had been before this silly war. The only thing anyone accomplished was creating more death and misery.

Yes, much death, misery, and pain has been caused over this battle. He himself, had almost died if wasn't for that red headed fool. William closes his eyes for a moment. For a couple days, William had thought Grell Sutcliff was actually going to die. When Grell had gotten up after being stabbed by his own Death Scythe, the idea that that being was truly invincible had filled his mind. However, reality had crashed down on him when the man had collapsed soon after. It was quite fortunate he found Ronald Knox when he returned to the Shinigami Realm.

When he had woke up in a hospital bed, immediately he had sat up and noticed the red head in a similar bed a few feet away. Knox had come in not even thirty seconds later, surprised to see him awake so soon. The young Reaper quickly explained to him that Grell had been through a major surgery and would be out of it for at least a couple days― that is, if he ever woke up again. His chainsaw had completely ripped his internal organs to shreds and no one even knew how he had managed to stay alive after a wound of that degree. Still, he was immediately taken to surgery and their best medical doctors worked on him for hours. It wasn't necessarily because they wanted Sutcliff to live, but they were curious if they could actually save a Shinigami that gravely injured.

It isn't like William to admit his feelings, but he has come to terms that he had been slightly worried for his subordinate. Being stuck in the hospital for a couple of days brought him nothing but time to think. Somehow, though, of all things his thoughts always led over to the Shinigami resting silently in the hospital bed beside his like a corpse. What made him the most anxious was that he couldn't even tell if Grell _was_ alive or not, seeing as the Reaper decided to stop breathing. It had troubled him though, the thought that Grell might have actually died trying to protect him.

Then one night he awoke to soft foot steps on the cold ground. Thinking it was a nurse coming to check on them, William had closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep. However, they opened immediately when a pressure was placed on the bed. His blurry vision tried to focus in the darkness and William barely picked out the form of another Reaper with vibrant colored hair.

The Shinigami in question lay tiredly beside the other and immediately pressed himself up against him. "William," he murmured, hands holding Will's arm. "I'm glad you're alright."

It had crossed William's mind to push the Reaper away like usual, but Grell had been already hurt severely and it just seemed wrong to do so. So, William let Grell rest there for a while until morning came and the nurses forced him to go back to his own bed to heal. Even half out of it, Grell had put up one hell of a fight to be removed from Will's side.

William lets out a sigh, thinking of that Reaper's antics. He had recovered well though― and just in time for the funeral.

William opens up an office door.

Sitting on the corner of a desk, Grell Sutcliff studies an old photo graph intensely. How many years has it been since this picture had been taken― a hundred and twenty?― a hundred and thrity? Grell can't remember anymore. On the far left were Eric and Alan, the latter standing timidly beside the taller man, wearing a content smile. Eric, too, looked happy to be with Alan. This had been before the whole Thorn of Death incident had taken place, Grell remembers. Beside Alan, Grell was clutching onto William's arm, forcing him into the picture and striking his famous DEATH pose at the same time. A smile forms on Grell's face as he takes in William's annoyed look at having been taken away from his paper work to take this photo. Last was Ronnie, who was on the right. He too was posed and had a carefree, light expression on his face.

Grell looks up when he hears the door open to the office. His smile brightens when he sees William. Casting one last solemn look at the photograph, he says quietly, "It seems our little group keeps getting smaller and smaller."

William walks over and glances down at the picture. "If we do not leave now, we'll be late."

"Hmm," Grell hums and sets the image down. Getting off of the desk, he quickly fixes his red dress. Then he grabs a rose. "Let's go."

For once, the red Reaper is silent as they walk easily down the empty hallways. The funeral is today, now that they've finally gathered most of the bodies and identified them. They never found Zachary's body though and they never would.

The two leave through the back door which opens to a field of coffins. Everywhere, Shinigami are gathered to say goodbye to their colleagues and friends, dressed in pure black. Many of them look up at the flowing, scarlet dress adorning Grell. Nobody dares question his choice of apparel though, the thought that he managed to kill Zachary and survive such a grave wound still weighing down their minds.

Grell walks with William over to a single coffin. Inside is a blond male with round glasses. If his eyes were open, they'd be an energetic green. A sad smile graces the red head's face as he looks at his dead friend.

"Oh Ronnie, you silly boy~ Why didn't you wait for your senpai before running off to play with the demons?" Grell traces his fingers over the pale flesh and sets a pure crimson rose beside the boy. "I'll miss you. Say hi to Eric and Alan for me, m'kay? Goodbye," Grell breathes and turns around to hold onto William's arm.

Silently, William thanks the young male for all the help he has done over the years― and most recently, for saving their lives.

The two leave quietly as the sun fades behind the hills.

"Hey, William?" Grell starts as they're walking.

"What is it?" William says stoically.

"What do you suppose happens when we die? I mean, we're technically already dead, so what happens this time?" Grell wonders.

"I don't know, though I hope nothing happens."

Grell blinks, not expecting that. "What…?"

"An eternal rest. Does that not sound appealing? Never having to worry about anything or feel anymore, just peace and quiet. Yes, that would be quite ideal," William says, thinking out loud.

Grell frowns. "But Will…if there's nothing after, then that means I wouldn't be able to see you anymore! That doesn't sound ideal at _all_!"

A bemused look passes over Will's face. _Honestly, this man_… "Well, there's a way to avoid that; don't _die_. Generally, we're immortal beings Grell Sutcliff."

Grell's silent for a moment. "We may be Shinigami, but Eric, Alan and even Ronnie have all died now. You and I almost faced death too. I suppose it's just made me think. If Sebas-chan hadn't―"

"Do not praise that despicable creature in front of me," William snaps in distaste.

"Why do you hate Sebas-chan so much?" Grell questions, a little angry. "I know he's a demon but―"

"All demons are terrible creatures that only exist to leech off of humans," William spits out. "When I was human, a demon slaughtered my entire family but I was left alive. I thought that when I died that that would be the end; instead, I've been granted an eternal life."

Grell's eyes widen momentarily before he rests his head against Will's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I never knew, Will."

"How could you have?" William says emotionlessly again.

"Still…" Grell murmurs, looking at the darkening sky. "I think Sebas-chan's different. He _saved_ me, William, when he didn't need to. He even put his own life at risk."

"It worked in his favor; he had his uses for you, and that was it," William defends.

Grell shakes his head. "No, no, it was _after_ we had defeated Zachary and that Angel. He didn't have to, but he saved me. It was weird," Grell admits, "but not in a bad way. I wonder if he's okay~"

"If you want to know so badly, why don't you go run back to that demon? I'm sure your wounds have almost healed enough to get ripped back open again in that realm," William says with a slight bitter tone. So what if that demon had helped him? William didn't understand the red Shinigami's obsession with that man. Had that demon sat for hours on end wondering if the Reaper was going to live? Or gone against everything he believed in just to help him? He was probably too busy _devouring_ that child's soul.

Suddenly, William blinks when there's a slight pressure on his cheek.

"Aww~ You're so adorable, Will~" Grell coos when he pulls back from his chaste kiss. "Don't worry, I wouldn't leave you for him~ Besides, he's got that brat to keep him company for now."

"Grell Sutcliff, I did not give you permission to touch me so freely. In fact, please remove yourself from my arm immediately," William states with an annoyed look, disbelieving that Grell actually had the nerve to kiss his cheek.

"Mm, I don't want to," Grell says cheerfully. Then his eyes take on a sly look. "What are you going to do, William? _Punish me~_?"

William lets out an irritated breath. "Honestly, why I put up with you…"

Grell giggles and wanders off with William, a smile on his face.

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><p><em>~Ciel's POV~<em>

Is this what it feels like to die? At first, it hurt terribly. Hell, I'd had a fricking sword shoved through my chest, of_ course_ it hurt! But now, now a sort of calm has come over me. It doesn't feel like I'm dead though. Somehow, it's like I'm still aware of everything surrounding me. I feel odd.

I pick up a noise. It sounds like breathing. But if I'm dead, how could I possibly hear breathing?

I couldn't, which means I must be alive.

The last thing I remember happening was seeing Alois die, Hannah explaining everything that has happened, and then that same demon stabbing me with a sword. I thought for sure I would die from a wound like that, but apparently that's not so.

"Sebastian?" I murmur softly, taking a guess at who it is that I can hear.

"Bo-chan, you're awake."

It seems I was correct. I open my eyes blearily and look for the demon. Picking out his form, I frown. Something looks…different. "Sebastian, why are you looking at me like that?" I mutter tiredly, a frown gracing my face.

"Like what? Could you please elaborate, Young Master?" Sebastian asks.

I shake my head. "I don't know. You just look different somehow," I explain, sitting up to get a better look at him. He still looks like Sebastian, and yet there's something off.

This makes Sebastian frown slightly and I notice him tense a little. "I assure you, Bo-chan, I look exactly like I always have."

"Is that so? Maybe it's nothing then." I pause. Then, looking with my now focused eyes, I cast my view around the room. A chilling feeling passes through me. I can see everything in perfect detail, though only a couple candles light the room. Not only that, but I could almost see the _energy_ emitting from those candles. Looking back at Sebastian, I notice darkness around him that I'd never seen before. His glowing red eyes have never looked so dangerous and deadly before.

"Bo-chan?"

I hear Sebastian's surprised voice when I suddenly hop off of the bed and away from him. What is going on? My vision was never this great before. Racing up to the mirrors, I peer into my blue and purple eyes. They look the same as they always have.

That is, until they flash a brief red.

Letting out a choked noise, I fall backwards and away from the mirror, raising my hands to my eyes. I shakily call out, "S-Sebastian."

"My Lord?" Sebastian questions from beside me.

I turn to glare up at him. "Don't act all innocent, bastard! Tell me what the fuck I just saw!"

"I'm sure My Lord would know much better what _he_ saw than I could," Sebastian points out cheekily.

I get up and hit my hands against his chest. "Stop playing games with me, Sebastian! The last thing I remember was Hannah stabbing me with that sword and then I woke up back here! Explain to me what happened, damn it!"

Red eyes looked down and I notice the deadly serious look on Sebastian's face. He lowers himself slightly. "I think you already know what happened." I go to yell at him but he continues, "However, if not, I'll _enlighten_ you. Ciel Phantomhive, you are now a demon."

My eyes widen and I shake my head. "N-no, that's not possible. I am a human. You are supposed to take my soul now. Sebastian, this is an order, _take my soul immediately!_"

"I cannot, My Lord," Sebastian says dully. "It is impossible. You are a demon, just as I."

"Bastard! How dare you ignore an order?" I roar at him, going to slap him.

Sebastian catches my wrist and his eyes narrow. "Do you think I want this? To be bound eternally to you?"

My breathing is harsh. "This was supposed to be it. It was all supposed to end yesterday. I had come to terms with all this the other night. You were going to take my soul and it was going to be _over_. It would be so easy and my soul could finally rest for eternity. It wasn't supposed to end like this, Sebastian!"

"What do you expect me to do about it, Bo-chan? It's not a reversible process. Believe me, I had no intention of this outcome." Sebastian's eyes shut for a moment and he mumbles under his breath, "Though I suspect a certain mortician did."

Luckily, with my newly improved hearing, I caught onto that. "What?" I demand in surprise. "The Undertaker caused this?"

Sebastian's eyes open and focus on me. "Yes. The sword he gave you was a demon sword. I believe he knew this whole time that this would be the outcome. He told me to tell you 'one for one'."

"'One for one'," I quote somberly. "By preventing your death, Undertaker let my human life be killed. That was his plan from the beginning. I bet if I didn't comply, _he'd_ have been the one to try and kill you. That damn madman… All because he didn't want his source of amusement to be cut off."

"It seems we have both been played fools, Bo-chan," Sebastian says quietly.

"Yes," I chuckle mirthlessly. "An eternity as a demon, spending my time devouring the souls of others and bringing Hell upon the world, all the whilst longing for a silent ending."

"An eternity of serving a child, locked in a contract and always tempted, but never able to receive," Sebastian adds.

I nod and a small smile crosses my face. "We will suffer together for all of an eternity, Sebastian."

"So it seems," Sebastian nods.

Soberly, I sit back on the bed and rest my head against the headboard, closing my eyes.

"I wonder: do you hate me for this?" I question curiously.

"…No."

I open an eye. "Oh?"

"It is not you who did this. The blame could fall on anyone: Undertaker, Hannah, Trancy, Claude. I could not hate you for something you did not cause," Sebastian explains.

"But you hate what has happened?" I inquire.

I watch as Sebastian advances.

"It is the greatest curse," he admits while tilting my face up towards his. The demon leans in closely, closing his eyes again. "I can still smell your soul mixed in your blood and being, yet I'll never be able to have it. I will still serve as your butler, but my prize has been stolen away forever."

"Yes," I breathe, letting my fingers trail on his jaw and shutting my eyes as well. "Sebastian, who has won this game?"

"I am not sure anymore, but certainly it is not us," Sebastian whispers.

I make a noise of agreement. "Yes. I can't say I enjoy losing, Sebastian. In fact, it is quite a disagreeable feeling."

"Indeed, Bo-chan. I thought we had won for a moment back then," Sebastian confesses.

"We were too lax and it has cost us." Then, I decide to throw in another comment, one that surely could not end well but I cannot help myself. "Yet again you have failed to protect me, Sebastian."

The demon's eyes snap open and the calm air vanishes. "You little _brat_. I could snap your neck like this―"

"And what would happen?" I laugh like it's the funniest joke in the world. "I'd crack my neck back and I'd be fine again! I'm an immortal now, aren't I?"

Instead of being annoyed like I thought he would, a slightly worried look comes over his face. "Bo-chan, stop this right now. You're losing your sanity."

That makes me stop my cackling. Realization dawns on me. Looking up with shallow eyes I question, "This is really how it's going to be for all of eternity, isn't it?"

"Yes, My Lord."

"And what do we do now?" I wonder.

Sebastian's eyes fade back down to their rust color. "Now we go inform Lucifer."

* * *

><p>I can't help but gawk at everything around us as we make our way to Lucifer's castle. Everything seems so much more different, so much more enhanced. I can see every tiny detail with my pristine vision.<p>

"Does it always look like this to you?" I ask Sebastian while glancing at a tree over a hundred meters away and yet able to see every pine needle and chip of bark.

"I would assume so. I have never seen the world with human eyes so I would not understand the difference," Sebastian comments.

I hum in response and follow him. Soon enough, the large building appears in my view again. Together, we walk up the steps and into the main entrance. Lucifer is waiting there already.

"My King," Sebastian goes down to one knee and I shock the demon by copying him.

Hell, I'm a little surprised at myself. Though if I am truly a demon now, than Lucifer rules far beyond me. Therefore I must pay my respects to him, just as I would to the Queen were she still alive.

"Rise," Lucifer says in a breezy tone. "Young Phantomhive, it seems you have joined the ranks of Hell. I can't say I am too pleased."

"My apologies, Sir, but I assure you neither Sebastian nor myself wanted this," I say slightly sarcastically.

"Sebastian? Yes, that is the name you dubbed him, is it not?" Lucifer murmurs in thought.

"Yes. Are you not pleased with that either, _My King_?" I ask, copying Sebastian's attitude.

"I'm curious as to why you named him it. Was it after a loved one when you were mortal?" Lucifer questions.

"It was after my dog," I state easily and can see Sebastian's face twitch without even looking. That really never would get old, no matter how many years go by.

Lucifer's eyebrows go up and an amused smile lights his face. "Oh? You named _Michaelis_ after a _mutt_? Perhaps I have made a mistake. This Phantomhive boy is quite amusing."

"My King!" Sebastian gapes, disbelieving that the Ruler of Hell would have a sudden change of heart over a joke at his expense.

I snicker.

"Though he _does_ have a loud mouth. Anyhow," Lucifer waves his hand and continues, "you are still bound to this boy, correct, Michaelis? However, I am not willing to give you up either. You will continue to be my Knight, along with the boy. It seems he was very capable at figuring out many things in the war so he may prove to be useful."

"You wish…for my Bo-chan to aid in your requests?" Sebastian murmurs with a small frown.

Lucifer nods.

Sebastian continues after a moment, "At my discretion. There are some things I will not permit him to do or even witness."

The King's eyes narrow. "You would go against my wishes for the child?"

"As much as I am bound to him, he belongs to _me_," Sebastian says possessively. "If I am to spend an eternity with him, then I wish for him to be quite sane. Lucifer, he was once human and if you forced those things upon him, it'd break his mind."

The blond demon's eyes trailed over to me. "Fine. You may deal with the boy how you want but you are still to complete everything I desire."

"Of course." Sebastian bows.

Lucifer nods. "Then I will see you later. Good day, Michaelis, Ciel Phantomhive."

I watch the demon disappear down a hall before turning to Sebastian. "What were those things you were talking about, Sebastian?"

Crimson eyes look down at me. "Nothing you need to concern yourself of, Bo-chan. You should be glad I have as much leeway as I do, though."

I look at him with suspicion but follow after him nonetheless. If he had been that adamant about me not knowing, then perhaps it would be a good thing to be naïve on that subject. Sometimes there are things better left unknown.

When we make it back to his mansion, I notice the painting I had done a couple days ago.

"This was―"

"When we were down in the cave," Sebastian finishes, looking at it with slight interest. "It seems your prediction was right after all. Bo-chan, I am going to make some tea."

"That sounds good." I watch as he leaves before turning back to the painting. It makes me think; all my other's are back in Grell's mansion, aren't they? I will have to retrieve those soon. However, I do have that portfolio I put together.

I wander over to where I had set it down and pick it up casually before taking a seat on the huge, dark bed. Flipping open the book, I peer curiously at all the images I've created over the years. There are some of my incompetent servants, of Soma and Agni, Madame Red and Grell Sutcliff. Then there are some of my mother, father and Elizabeth. As I get to more of the later pages, faces of those murder victims appear, along with that bloody image of Lucifer that never came true.

Then I freeze when I get to the very last image. It's a simple painting on a thin canvas I had found along with vibrant colors of acrylic paint. A childish portrayal of two boys is shown on the canvas, one with an eye patch, the other wearing a royal purple. They're playing tag with a giant butterfly with razor blades for teeth.

I raise a hand to my mouth to cover the stunned noise. "How did this get here?" I wonder as a deep sense of forlorn comes over me. Trailing my fingers gently over it, I'm surprised when I turn it over to see a note taped to the back of it. Picking it up carefully, I read it over.

'_Dear Ciel,_

_I do not have much time. Seeing Claude again today surprised me and I apologize for running off with Hannah. Were you worried, even a little? I'd like to hope so~ If not, I am definitely coming back to haunt you! ;( _

_Anyway, by time you read this letter I'll already be most likely dead― either at the hand of Claude or Hannah will have devoured my soul. I think, if it's the latter, I might be able to rest happily. Hopefully Hannah has explained what truly happened all those years ago― if not, I'll yell at her for you! In any case, if Hannah devours my soul I'll be able to see Luka again after all this time!_

_I don't think you realize how lucky you are, in a sense. You've always been surrounded by people who love you, Ciel. And yet, you ignore them! But that's just you, I suppose. You're strong enough to survive without anyone's help, though I do hope one day you find somebody who makes you truly happy. _

_Now, for what I assume has happened to you. I truly hope you do not hate me for it, but I'll understand if you do. It's not that I wanted you to be miserable― far from it! It's that I wanted to make sure nobody could ever have your soul. You're too precious, Ciel, and nobody deserves you. Somehow, you managed to even get Claude to crave your soul and he ended up betraying me over it. Something that rare does not deserve to be given to these demon bastards and so, Hannah promised she'd make it so no one could ever have it. She told me later that that would most likely mean you'd end up as a demon yourself. I was against it at first, but it was the only way. And besides, think about it: You have an eternity worth of life, so enjoy it! Go out and try a couple things for me, 'kay? I've always wondered what it would be like to play 'nervous' with a crocodile, so put that on your 'List of Things I Must Do for my Bestest-Friend Ever: Alois Trancy'. Also, you should invent a new color and name it after me. There! Those are already two things you can do during your eternity! ;D_

_In a way, I envy you, though. I know you feel much attached to Sebastian, Ciel. If I was in your position, I'd give _anything_ to be with Claude forever. However, our fate has already been decided since so long ago; but you still have that chance! Do not waste it, Ciel._

_I hope you never forget me like the way I'll never forget our memories together._

_Love, _

_Alois Trancy'_

I stare at the letter, reading the words over and over again until they've been imprinted in my brain. Alois…Of course I will never forget him. That boy has affected my life too much to just be disregarded. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't even be here right now. Hell, lots of things wouldn't be here right now then. The entire future would have been different if he and I hadn't been reincarnated.

Though he is obviously most to blame for my current predicament, I feel that hating Alois over it will accomplish nothing. Truly, he meant well― sort of. Besides, he's already dead and nothing will ever change that. Just like the fact that I am a demon forever. It may not be the most ideal situation, but I will learn to deal with it. I've had to live through _much_ worse.

Placing the letter on the backside of the thin canvas once again, I close my portfolio and set it aside. Yes, I will never forget any of these moments we have shared. All these memories of laughter and tears, of joy and blood, of cake and death, of love and hate; I will never forget them for as long as I exist.

Thinking back to the days where everything was so much simpler and my biggest worry was not completing my essay on time brings a tiny smile to my face. I have noticed it seems as if nothing stays the same forever, though. Even being immortal now, I must wonder if one day it will all end. If it's in my death or the end of this world, it must end one day.

Perhaps for once, I might take Alois' advice seriously.

"Bo-chan, your tea is ready," Sebastian calls out emotionlessly from the threshold to the room. "I have prepared New Moon Drop for your liking."

I climb off the bed and walk over to the waiting demon, taking the empty cup from him. "Mm, it smells delicious."

* * *

><p><strong>Final AN:** Many seem to not understand the tea reference at the end of the series. I am not saying my theory is correct, but I believe it must mean something important or else they would not have put it there. At the beggining, Sebastian retrieves Ciel's soul from the New Moon Drop tea container, commenting about its certain smell and saying its also been know as the Dance of Souls. At the end of the series, he serves Ciel a cup of the supposed tea, though there is nothing in it. Basically, Sebastian is saying that Ciel's soul is now gone. Ciel then comments that "it has a nice smell", more as a mockery to Sebastian that he can never have Ciel's tempting soul, which would've been a most delicious meal. It is also ironic because Sebastian had commented about the smell when he obtained the container in the first episode of the second season.


End file.
